


Nothing More Contagious Than Laughter

by kelseycurtis



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Abuse, Arkham Sex, Blood Kink, Canonical Character Death, Choking, Daddy Kink, Desk Sex, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Smut, F/M, Grief/Mourning, Gun Violence, Horny Teenagers, Manipulation, Masturbation, Murder, Panty Kink, Phone Sex, Sexual Roleplay, Shameless Smut, Smoking, Suicide Attempt, Voyeurism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-19
Updated: 2016-11-24
Packaged: 2018-07-25 12:08:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 25
Words: 41,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7532185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kelseycurtis/pseuds/kelseycurtis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A multichapter fic that features lots of smut, violence, various relationships and all your favs from Gotham. Set during season 1, 2</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Emerald’s P.O.V

My parents were taking me to the circus. Even at the age of eighteen it was still my favourite place to visit. A traveling circus would come to Gotham every year and my parents took me each time without fail. It was our little tradition. Because I was old enough now they would let me go off on my own before the show. I headed to the tent that held the animals. I spotted a huge glass cage with the biggest python I have seen inside. I went over to it as people were more focused on the snarling hyenas. 

Any kind of animal was cute in my eyes. The python was coiled around itself, staring in to space. A guy who looked to be the same age as me stepped out from behind the glass. He had red hair, green eyes and a menacing grin.   
“Hi gorgeous, the hyena’s not to your liking?” The ginger spoke.   
“They are but this guy looked pretty lonely.”  
“That guy is actually a girl.”  
Well done Emerald. You probably just pissed off a member of the circus for getting a snakes gender wrong. 

“I’m sorry, I had no idea,” I apologised.  
“It’s alright, how were you supposed to know.”  
“Exactly. So is she yours?”  
“My mom’s. She’s a snake charmer. Are you staying for the show?”  
“Of course.”  
“Then you’ll see this lady in action tonight.”  
“It must be so cool working for the circus.”  
“It has its moments. Where are my manners? I’m Jerome.”  
“Emerald.”

We shook hands and he checked his watch.   
“Well I’d love to stay and chat but the show starts in five minutes.”  
“See you round.”  
“You sure will.”  
I headed to the main tent and sat down inside with my parents, my dad handed me a small bucket of salted popcorn. I grinned, my favourite. The show began with clowns of course. I was more excited to see The Flying Greyson’s, the performed every year and their act managed to amaze me every time. 

The show soon came to an end and the three of us headed home. Our house was way too big for the three of us but I don’t think I’d be able to leave my childhood home.   
“Have you thought anymore about a job sweetie?” My dad asked.  
I hated this subject. I had finished school with decent grades and had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. My dad worked for Wayne Enterprises and of course he wanted me to work there too. It was bad enough when we had to go to charity events so why the hell would I want to work there? I’d rather be a seamstress like my mother, I mean she had taught me everything she knew. And I was pretty good at it too. 

I awoke in the morning, showered, dressed and ate breakfast. I sat around wondering what I should do. My friends would be working so they weren’t an option and I was seeing them tomorrow night too. They had gotten tickets for the circus and why would I pass up an opportunity to go again? Dad was also at work and Mom was busy sewing. I grabbed my bag and car keys. I reversed my car out of the drive and headed downtown. I soon reached the parking lot which was practically empty and parked. I stayed in the car for a little bit. This was weird. It made me seem desperate and needy. But he seemed like a cool guy to hang out with, but he could be busy. 

Well you’re here now so you might as well get out of the car and say hi or else you’ve wasted petrol. I got out of the car and cursed myself. I didn’t even know what damn trailer he lived in. I knew his had been a bad idea. I found someone sitting outside a tent, patching up a costume. I guess it couldn’t hurt to ask them.   
“Sorry to bother you but um what trailer does Jerome live in?” I asked.  
They pointed over to a fairly large trailer at the end of the pathway and I thanked them. I walked to the trailer and knocked on the door. 

I spotted the snake cage outside the trailer and smiled to myself. The python was inside sleeping. Probably deserved it after the night she had. I knocked on the door of the trailer and waited. I heard shouting coming from inside. Maybe I had picked a bad time to visit. The door opened soon enough and Jerome stepped out of the trailer, smiling.   
“I was in the area and I thought I’d say hi,” I said.  
“Is that the only reason?”  
“No. I have nothing to do today and I thought you might wanna hang out.”  
“In that case you came to the right guy.”

Jerome vanished back inside his trailer where there was more shouting. He came back out with his coat and led me off to the animal tent. It was a lot different seeing the animals in the daytime. Especially the hyenas. They seemed much calmer now people weren’t gawking at them. I crouched by them and the pair stirred, growling at me a little. I was a new face to them of course they would go in defence mode. Eventually they fell quiet but didn’t take their eyes off me. I slowly inched my hand in to the cage, which caused them to growl again. I froze keeping eye contact until they were calm again. We continued this routine until my hand came in to contact with fur. 

The animal froze, allowing me to touch it. Eventually it relaxed and I began to pet both of them. I smiled to myself. Maybe I should work with animals, it was definitely a possibility if I could get two hyenas to like me. Jerome handed me a scrap of meat which I threw in to the cage, letting the two of them fight over the food.   
“What are their names?” I asked.  
“Bud and Lou, they don’t come out much anymore. They attacked their trainer a couple of months ago.”  
“Why?”  
“Could be a number of reasons. They might have been provoked, which is the more likely option or they were hungry.”  
“Did the trainer survive?”  
“No.”  
“So who looks after them now?”   
“Mainly me. Everyone dumps the animals on me because of the damn snake. I don’t mind, sometimes animals are better company than people.”  
“I agree with you there.”

Jerome smiled and dropped another piece of meat in the cage.   
“So apart from looking after the animals what else do you do?” I asked.  
He shrugged, “not a lot. I mean I’ve learnt everything there is to learn. Although I’m still learning how to turn myself in to a pretzel, I’m not the flexible.”  
I laughed, which made him smile more.   
“Well if it helps I can’t do handstands,” I admitted.  
“That’s like the easiest thing to do.”  
“I guess I have shitty balance.”

Jerome got to his feet and gave me his hand, pulling me to my feet. He led me to another tent that was a lot smaller and had various blankets and pillows strewn across the floor.   
“Today your gonna learn how to do a handstand,” Jerome declared.  
“You can try and teach me but you won’t get anywhere.”  
Jerome took off his coat and proceed to do a handstand. I sighed, everyone else made it look so easy. I guess I had no strength in my arms. Jerome’s shirt rode up a bit thanks to gravity, giving me a pretty good view. He got back on his feet and raised an eyebrow, a smile on his face.  
“You see something you like gorgeous?” He smirked.  
“I might do,” I replied, “your gonna need to hold my legs or otherwise I’m gonna fall on my face.”

I tucked my shirt in so it didn’t ride up and attempted to do a handstand, I didn’t even get my legs in the air before I fell on my back. Jerome laughed and I gave him an unimpressed look.  
“Are you gonna laugh every time I fall on my ass?” I asked.  
“I might do.”  
I tried again and managed to get my legs in the air long enough or Jerome to grab my ankles and hold me up. I straightened my arms like he had but I still could feel myself wobbling. My arms eventually gave out and my head came in contact with the floor. I sat up and rubbed the back of my head. Jerome gave me his hand and helped me up, smiling to himself.

“Can’t we try something else?” I asked.  
“Like?”  
I thought about it for a moment. There were many circus things I wanted to learn. Let’s start with magic. I suggested the idea and Jerome grinned. He pulled out a piece of red cloth and held it between his fingers, smoothing it out. I watched him play with the cloth until it revealed a single red rose. He handed it to me and I felt my cheeks burn. First guy to give me a flower. He smiled as if he had just come up with the world’s greatest idea. 

“You know I have always wanted a glamorous assistant,” he mentioned.  
“For what?”  
“Knife throwing.”  
I giggled at his joke until I realised just how serious he was. No way was I letting some guy I hardly knew throw knives at me, even if he was cute.   
“Maybe I can be your magic assistant instead,” I suggested.  
“I’m sure there’s some revealing costumes around here somewhere.”  
My phone buzzed and I pulled it out my pocket, checking the caller I.D. Tessa. I gave Jerome an apologetic look before answering. 

“Hey what’s up?” I asked.  
“I got out of work early, thought I would pop round yours. Where are you?”   
I didn’t want to tell Tessa, mainly because she wouldn’t shut up about it if I did.   
“I just went out to grab a few things, I’ll be back in like fifteen minutes,” I lied.   
“Alrighty, see ya.”  
I hung up, putting the phone back in my pocket. I glanced back at Jerome and gave him another apologetic look.   
“See you tomorrow night?” I asked.  
“You will. I don’t appreciate you skipping out on me like this.”  
“Hey I have a needy friend; I can’t help it.”

We said our goodbyes and I headed back to my car. I placed the rose on the passenger seat next to me, a smile forming on my lips again. Ok so I was head over heels in love with this guy there was no denying that. But we’d literally only just met, there was no way I could do anything about it yet. And he might not even feel the same way although he was pretty flirtatious. I drove home, finding Tessa’s car outside my home. I parked in my drive and headed inside to find her sat at the breakfast bar with my mom, both of them drinking coffee. 

Tessa noticed the rose in my hand and raised an eyebrow, imploring me to explain. I really did not want too. She would go on and on about it forever. And it didn’t help that we were going to the circus tomorrow so she would probably try and embarrass me in front of Jerome.   
“Oh this? I saw it outside, thought I could brighten up my room or something,” I lied, mentioning to the rose.   
Both of them seemed to buy it and I felt my shoulders relax. Tessa and I went up to my room where we sat on the floor and began to talk. 

Next day

I awoke, showered and changed in to something smart. It was a miracle I even owned something smart. Dad had insisted he take me to work today. I didn’t like the idea but I suppose I didn’t have any other choice. But I did not want a job at Wayne Tower even if the pay was great. I headed downstairs and grabbed a slice of toast before Dad and I got in to his car. The car journey was half an hour long and dad told me that apparently there was going to be a board meeting today that he had to go too and I was allowed to sit in. Great. I was going to be bored out of my mind. 

We arrived and instantly Dad led me to the top floor and in to the huge meeting room. We were right on time as the room was slowly filling with board members, including Bruce Wayne himself. A lot of people were going over and shaking his hand, probably in the hopes of getting on his good side. He was standing to the side with an older gentleman. Probably his guardian. Bruce was only fifteen, I’m sure he didn’t want to be here just like I didn’t. I approached him and shook his hand.   
“I’m so sorry about your parents,” I said apologetically. 

Bruce forced a smile, accepting the handshake. My Dad shook his hand, saying it was good for him to be here. Bruce’s attention turned to me.   
“Your daughter I assume sir?” Bruce asked.  
“Please call me Jack, I should be the one calling you sir,” my dad spoke, “yes this is my daughter Emerald. I thought I would take her to work, she’s struggling to work out what she wants to do.”  
“Well I would be happy to show her around, this company is all about family after all. I’m sure I can help find her a position that she would enjoy.”  
I smiled at him. It would be better than my dad doing it. We took our seats at the table and the meeting began. 

Once the meeting finished and the room emptied Bruce insisted he show me round. Just the two of us. He took me floor by floor, giving a brief over view of each department. This was sweet but I didn’t want to work here. Office environments seemed boring to me. Being sat at a desk all day couldn’t be fun.   
“You’re not interested in working here are you?” Bruce asked suddenly.  
“of course I am,” I lied.  
“Please. I respect people more when they are honest. I understand if you don’t want to work here and it doesn’t insult me at all. But if you change your mind then I’m sure a position would be available.”  
“Thank you, that really means a lot.”

Bruce led us back to my dad’s office, where I sat outside at an empty desk. Thankfully there was a computer so I could at least browse the internet while I waited. Maybe plan out what I was going to wear for tonight. Maybe a dress.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Jerome’s P.O.V

I spotted Emerald in the crowd with two other girls. A blonde and a brunette. Emerald was wearing a short black summer dress that showed off her legs. She had a nice pair of legs. They would probably look even better wrapped around my waist. There was no denying I liked her a lot. I kept my distance as Emerald craned her neck to look around through the crowd. I followed a fair distance away as the girls made their way through the circus. 

Throughout the night I could tell Emerald was getting annoyed with the blonde hanging around with her and I could see why. The blonde wouldn’t shut her damn mouth. They headed inside the animal tent and I headed in through the side. This was a part of the tent that was off limits to non-circus people. So I had a great view of Emerald from here but she couldn’t see me. Emerald stood to the side, close to me whilst her two friends looked at the animals. 

I reached out and pulled her back in to the off limits area. She seemed shocked until she realised it was just me.  
“Thought I’d rescue you from your friend doll face,” I spoke quietly.  
Emerald smiled and I felt myself smiling back. I wanted her in every way. She needed to be mine. I would make her mine...sometime. I wasn't exactly a master when it came to getting girls to like me. I'd never even been in a relationship.  
“Tessa will lose her shit if she notices I'm gone,” Emerald protested.  
“Wasn’t she the one that made you leave me early yesterday?”  
“Yes but-“

I interrupted her before she could give me an excuse, “but you left me all because she called. Maybe I should get rid of her.”  
Emerald laughed, thinking it was a joke. It wasn't but I would pretend it was. I took Emeralds hand and led her out of the tent and over to the trailers. I hopped up on to one of the wagons and she joined me. I pulled a crumpled pack of cigs from the pocket of my jeans and offered Emerald one. She shook her head and I lit one up for myself. My damn mother would kill me if she knew I was stealing her cigarettes.  
“I know these things will kill ya but aren't we all addicted to things that are bad for us?” It was a rhetorical question.

“Being completely honest with you I've never touched one, my parents are anti-smoking,” Emerald explained.  
“Ah so your gonna be a goodie two shoes and abide by all their rules?” I asked mockingly.  
“I’m not a goodie two shoes. And I don’t abide by all their rules,” she said matter of factly.  
Emerald took a cigarette and I lit the end for her. She inhaled and went in to a coughing fit. I laughed, the normal reaction to your first smoke. She took another drag, her lungs getting used to it now. We sat in comfortable silence. That’s when the show started, the sound of the ringmaster’s voice boomed throughout the trailer park and the circus itself. 

I glanced at Emerald then at her legs. I could have my head between them, making her scream my name and nobody would hear her. Instead I just took another drag from my cig. She wouldn't feel the same way and it wouldn't work anyway. I mean we would leave at the end of the month and she would probably forget about me and get a boyfriend. If that was the case when we came back next year I would kill her boyfriend and have her all to myself. Emerald lay back in the wagon, staring up at the star's and taking another drag. I could sit and watch her for hours. I knew tonight I was going to struggle to let her out my sight. 

I lay back myself, feeling...calm. I hadn't felt calm in years. I was always on edge, ready for the next beating my mom would give me for some pathetic reason. Or the next time she would nag me to do something. Do the dishes Jerome. Take out the trash Jerome. Get me some cigs Jerome. Clean out Sheba’s cage Jerome. Go sit outside while I bang this clown Jerome. I felt my fists clench. I knew she would find another excuse to beat me tonight. Another man would be dragged back to the trailer tonight too. I didn’t mind her being a whore but being a nagging whore that's what really got on my nerves. One day I was going to snap and she won’t know what hit her.

I finished my cigarette and put it out on the side of the wagon. Emerald rolled over on to her side so she was facing me. Her fingers ran over a scar on my arm and I held back a shiver at the softness of her touch.  
“Work related?” She asked.  
“You could say that,” I mumbled.  
“Did someone do this to you?”  
I stayed silent, I didn’t want to talk about my mother with her. Not because I didn’t want her to know, I just didn’t want to kill the mood. I didn’t want to be angry around Emerald. 

“Jerome,” she spoke so sweetly.  
Oh how could I deny her when she said my name like that. I turned so I could face her, seeing the concern on her face.  
“My Mom did it. Shoved me into a window pretty hard,” I said as it were nothing.  
“She hits you?” Emerald asked cautiously.  
“Yeah.”  
“How long has it been going on?”  
“Why are you asking so many questions?”  
“Because I care and she can’t do this to her son.”

I sighed and this is why I didn’t want to talk about it. I wasn’t a son in her eyes, just a servant that she could beat when she wanted. There wasn't anything I could do, the circus was my home and my family. I didn’t have anything or anyone else. I had no money and living on the streets wasn’t ideal. Times like this part of me wishes I had a normal family. But Emerald caring, now that was new. Not once do I recall someone saying they cared about me. Maybe she cared about me in more ways than one. Maybe if I told her how tragic my childhood was she would really take pity on me. Ladies liked a guy they could make a fuss over.

Eventually the show came to an end and Emerald got to her feet. She looked a little panicked probably because she had to go back to that annoying friend of hers. Before she left however she pulled me into a tight hug. I was a bit shocked at first, but I soon relaxed and returned the hug, enjoying the way her body felt against mine. Shame our clothes were on. She then made sure we exchanged numbers, that way she could give me a heads up when she was going to visit. 

She turned and left, making her way back to the main tent. Her number was a good step forward but knowing where she lived seemed more interesting. Let’s hope she was walking home tonight. I began to follow, keeping my distance. It was only creepy stalking if you were caught. I continued to follow her, she was back with her friends now, giving some excuse as to why she had missed the show. They seemed to buy it and left the circus, heading out of the park. I stuck to the shadows and the larger groups of people.  
For once I was thankful that we stayed in cities for a month. Normally I would be bored and wait for the next job or argument. But now I had…a friend. That felt odd to say. I’d never had friends only family and trust me there is a huge difference. Family I was stuck with whether I liked them or not. Friends were much more disposable. Not that I wanted to dispose of my friend. Although I did want to be much more than friends with Emerald. 

I was standing outside her house now, hiding amongst the trees and bushes. There were lights on in the kitchen, lounge and a bedroom. I spotted Emerald walk past the bedroom window and smiled. I would kill for her. I climbed the tree, sitting on the branch. Now I had a perfect view into Emeralds room and Emerald herself. She had her back to the window as she began to undress. Well hello beautiful. She started with her top, then her bra. Just turn around and let me see you. Unfortunately, she covered herself with a pyjama top. 

I wanted to see her fully naked though. On her back, beneath me, moaning and gasping. I mean she had a nice laugh so I’m sure she had nice moans too. She put on some tiny pyjama shorts and climbed in to her bed. I could just knock on her window and she would let me in. Like in the movies, girls liked that. She grabbed her phone and began texting. That’s when my own phone went off and I panicked, putting it on silent and turning the brightness right down. She couldn’t know I was here. I looked at my phone and smiled. It was a text from her. 

Hey its Emerald. Did you wanna do something tomorrow?  
Of course I did. Why would I pass up on opportunity to spend time with her?  
Sure. What did you have in mind gorgeous?  
I glanced at her, she giggled as she read the text. This made me smile. If only she knew I was out here. I wonder how she would react?  
I don’t mind. Maybe you can help me actually do a handstand this time?  
Gladly  
Ok see you tomorrow at eleven.  
Can’t wait, miss you already

Emerald turned off her light and settled down to sleep. I guess there was nothing else to see. I climbed down from the tree and headed back to the circus. Mom was gonna be mad I wasn’t at the trailer and I had gone out without letting her know but I didn’t care at this point. She could scream and shout at me all she liked. After a fifteen minute walk I reached the trailer. I headed inside to find her on the couch, drinking. Surprisingly no male was present. 

She glared at me as I closed the door and was on her feet asking question after question. Where had I been? Who had I been with? Why wasn’t I here after the show to help with Sheba? I ignored her questions and pushed past her, heading for the bathroom. I had a problem that only a cold shower could solve. She continued shouting at me even after I slammed the bathroom door in her face. I turned the water on, undressed and stepped in to the spray. 

I leaned against the wall of the shower, the sound of the water blocking out my mother’s yelling. My hand wandered down my body until it reached its target. I let out a soft groan at the contact. I imagined it was Emeralds hand instead of my own. I imagined she was here, her lips on mine, moving down to my neck and my chest whilst her hand worked me closer to completion. I moaned against her soft lips, taking the bottom one between my teeth. 

I imagined the way her naked body would feel against mine, her soft skin on mine. All the ways I could make her moan and gasp. I let out another groan at the mental image of her on her knees in front of me, begging for it. A few filthier mental images of her and I was gone, groaning as I spilled in to my hand. I cleaned myself up and finished showering. I got out of the shower, wrapping the towel around my waist and heading straight to my room where I changed in to clean clothes.

As soon as I was dressed she burst in to the room and threw the empty bottle of alcohol at me. I ducked in time, where it smashed against the wall behind my head.  
“Where the fuck have you been you little shit!?” She screamed.  
“Out for a walk. Is that such a bad thing?”  
“You know during the show your meant to clean Sheba’s cage and when the show finishes dinner should be on the fucking table.”  
“Sorry that I wanted one night off.”  
“You ungrateful piece of shit! No wonder your fucking dad ran out on us, you’re lucky I don’t send you to a fucking kids home.”

“It would be better than here,” I mumbled.  
“What did you fucking say?”  
She grabbed me by the shoulders and shoved me against the wall before slapping me across the face. She then punched me in the nose, hard enough to break it. I let her do it, let her take her anger out. I stood there, fists clenched and thought of all the ways I would kill her. One day.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry its so short

Chapter 3

Emerald’s P.O.V

I knocked on the door of Jerome’s trailer and waited. The door opened to a bloody and bruised Jerome. I frowned. What the hell had happened now? He rolled his eyes but let me come in. I sat him down on the edge of his bed and began searching the cupboards for something to clean him up with.  
“You don’t need to make a fuss,” he snapped.  
“Well someone does,” I replied.  
I grabbed a clean cloth and a half empty first aid kit. I sat down next to him and dabbed at his nose. I cleaned up his lip and then went over to the freezer. I grabbed ice and wrapped it in another cloth. I handed it to him and he put it over his bruised eye. I sat back down next to him and began sorting through the first aid kit. 

“So what happened?” I asked.  
“The usual. I forgot to clean Sheba's cage.”  
“She shouldn’t beat you because you don’t clean a cage.”  
“She beats me for more pathetic things. Sometimes she does it for fun.”  
“Why do you put up with it?”  
“She’s my mother. I have nobody else.”  
I took his hand in mine and met his gaze, “you have me.”  
Jerome placed the makeshift ice pack beside him and cupped my cheek. I shivered as his cold skin came in to contact with mine. I found myself leaning towards him until our lips came in to contact. 

About damn time. I kissed him again and he pulled me on to his lap. He tangled his fingers in my hair and kissed me back, nipping at my bottom lip. I pulled his shirt off, forcing our lips to separate for a few moments. His lips moved down to my neck, my breathing becoming heavier. His hands travelled under my dress and between my legs, forcing a soft moan from me. I tugged his hair softly, forcing his lips on to mine again. I moaned in to his mouth as he continued rubbing me through my panties. That’s when a buzzing decided to start in my bag. I rolled my eyes, shifting to answer my phone. Jerome grabbed my hands, telling me to ignore it. I should answer, it could be my parents. Jerome didn’t give up however and kissed me. Ok. I can ignore it. 

The phone eventually stopped buzzing as we were picking up where we left off. We both fell back on the bed, his free hand moving to the back of my dress and pulling the zip down slowly. That’s when my phone buzzed again. Fuck sake. I climbed off Jerome and grabbed my phone from my bag, checking the caller I.D. Tessa. I answered, holding the phone to my ear.  
“Hey sweetie,” I answered.  
Jerome sat behind me, kissing my neck and shoulders. I swatted him and glared at him, hoping he would stop. He chuckled and continued kissing me.  
“Can you come over?” Tessa asked.  
“Why? What’s wrong?”  
“Matt broke up with me.”  
“What!? I’ll be there as soon as I can and I promise to bring ice cream.”

I ended the call and threw my phone back in my bag. I zipped it up and got to my feet. Jerome followed me, pulling me back towards him.  
“You can’t leave me all hot and bothered like that,” he grinned.  
“I don’t want to but I have to be there for my friend.”  
“You’re a tease.”  
“Get used to it,” I grinned.  
I turned, bag in hand and left his trailer. I could tell he was following me. I smiled to myself and turned to face him.  
“I’ll call you when I have the chance ok,” I promised.  
“You better or I’ll have to come round and kidnap you.”

I smiled, gave him a kiss goodbye and left. I got in to my car and drove to Tessa’s, not able to stop myself from grinning ear to ear with giddy excitement. Ok so I hardly knew him and we were now an item after four days but I felt something for him that I hadn't felt before. He would remain a secret for now, Tessa wouldn't shut up about it and my parents wouldn't approve of how fast we had gotten together. But as far as I was concerned all of them could butt out. It was my life. I soon reached Tessa’s and parked the car outside.

I went inside to find her in her room, wrapped up in blankets, her eyes red and puffy from crying. She had a huge bar of chocolate on her lap that was already half eaten. She was watching Clueless, which personally I didn't think would be much help. I sat down on the bed next to her and gave her a hug. She began sobbing again, telling me exactly what had happened. I pretended to listen, my mind thinking about what I would be doing if she hadn’t interrupted. 

Sudden virginal fears crept up on me and I guess I was a little grateful Tessa had interrupted. I hadn’t ever had sex, or really had a serious relationship. Tessa had dragged me out multiple weekend nights to nightclubs to find some guy for me. I hated it, they were always jerks and interested in one night stands. Oh and they were normally put off by virgins. And wasn’t the first time meant to hurt anyway? Or is that just something the media gets into female’s heads to put them off? 

Eventually after more crying I finally escaped and went home. I ate dinner with my parents and went to my room, collapsing on my bed. How emotionally exhausting. I dug my phone out my bag and checked my messages. An unread message from Jerome. I opened the message and a goofy grin formed on my face.  
_Hey gorgeous, when can I expect to see you again?_  
Maybe I should play hard to get even if I would rather be with him right now.  
_That all depends on you handsome._

A few seconds and he replied.  
_And what’s that supposed to mean? You’re not playing hard to get are you doll?_  
_Whatever gave you that idea?_  
_Careful gorgeous_  
My grin grew and I rolled over on to my back. My parents would probably scold me for getting together with someone so quick but I didn’t care. It just felt right. And I was happy around him. Wasn’t my happiness the main thing that matters?


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So for outfit reference, Emerald is wearing this http://67.media.tumblr.com/58185516639cbc172ee212939be0e564/tumblr_np3m6mE2Z91uwqhxpo1_400.gif

Chapter 4

Jerome’s P.O.V

Emerald would come visit me most days, although some days her dad would take her to work. She would always complain about it, saying she hated how he forced her to do something she disliked. And how arguments would start and then they wouldn’t talk to each other for days. I had two weeks left in Gotham before the circus packed up and headed to the next town. I had already decided I wasn’t going, not now that I had Emerald. I could find some place to live and I would finally be rid of my mother. 

Maybe we could run away together, that way we would be happy. Just the two of us away from our shitty parents. She would like that idea. I was expecting her today. She had been so honest and open with me. She was a virgin and she wanted me to change that. Today. I was more than happy to oblige of course. I'd been dying to slide between those long pale legs for a while now. She knew this of course and she was grateful for my patience. I would do anything for her. Anything to make her smile and laugh.

There was a knock on the trailer door, I knew it was her. I opened the door to find Emerald in red shorts and a white shirt that showed off her stomach. Emerald smiled nervously and stepped inside the trailer. I closed and locked the door behind her. Didn’t want any unwanted guests when I was making her scream my name. She put her bag down and sat on the edge of the bed. I sat next to her and took her hand in mine.  
“If you’re not ready then we don’t have too,” I spoke.  
“I am ready, just nervous. Everyone says the first time hurts.”  
“And I'll tell you now that's bullshit.”

She smiled at this and kissed my cheek. I kissed her softly, tangling my fingers in her hair. I wanted to grab a fistful and pull back hard so her scalp stung but I wouldn't. Having complete power over her and abusing that power got me off faster than any dirty fantasy. And in this situation I did have complete power over her, she was the virgin, I wasn't. I'd lost it a few years back to one of the contortionists. Emerald knew this and didn’t seem too bothered. 

Soon enough we were making out, her tongue teasing mine and her hand on my chest. My jeans were a little too tight and she was wearing too many clothes. My hands moved up to the top of her shirt and began unbuttoning the material. My lips moved down to her neck, kissing and nipping the skin. She gasped softly, her thighs rubbing together a little. I stayed focused on her neck imaging all the things I could do. I couldn't decide if I wanted to kiss her neck or wrap my hands around it and choke her. I would stick with the kissing for now.

I gently pushed her down on to the bed although I would much rather push her down and hold her still as I took what was mine. She pulled me down with her, her lips on mine once again. I pulled off her unbuttoned shirt and began working on her shorts. She lifted her hips so I could pull them down. I threw them over my shoulder, smiling at her matching black, lacy underwear. Emerald giggled as I began kissing her stomach, although it soon changed to breathy little gasps as I moved down to her thighs. 

Emerald sat up and pulled off my shirt, her eyes and fingers trailing down my chest. I bit my lip as she loosened my jeans and began tugging them off. I needed to touch her, I needed to feel the softness of her skin in my hands. Flesh that would probably tear and bruise so easy. Her pale skin would look beautiful covered in various purple, green and blue bruises. Marks that showed others who she belonged too. 

Emerald reached behind her and unclasped her bra before letting it slide down her arms and in to her lap. She giggled at the look on my face and pulled me in to another kiss.  
“Please don’t stare at me,” she smiled.  
“Can’t help it when you have a such a hot bod, gorgeous.”  
She giggled again, her cheeks turning a deep shade of red. She wasn’t used to compliments. I forced her to lie back down before our lips connected again. My hands moved from her shoulders to her breasts, squeezing them gently. She made a sound of approval, which encouraged me to continue. 

My lips began a trail from her lips down to her breasts. I took one of her nipples in my mouth, earning a soft moan from her. I wasn't going to be able to take my time with her at all. I would have to save some things for another time. I needed to feel her tight and wet around me. I began rubbing her through her panties, which were already a little damp. Emerald moaned softly, her hips twitching a little. I tugged her panties off, throwing them over my shoulder. My fingers slipped between her folds, finding her clit. Emerald bit her lip, holding back a loud moan. 

I circled her clit until she finally let out that load moan she had tried to hold back; it didn’t take much. By now she was breathing hard, her hips bucking into my touch. My fingers slid down until they found their next target. I pushed both fingers into her slowly, watching her face twist in pleasure. I began a fast pace, my patience worn thin. I needed to have her now. I continued the pace a little longer until I knew she was ready. She was already moaning like a whore, my name mixed in there a few times. 

I pulled my fingers out, sucking them clean. I had to stop myself diving down and tasting even more of her. I lined myself up before slowly pushing in to her. I gripped her hips, stopping myself from going too fast. Fuck she felt good. I waited for a signal from her before starting a fast pace. She wrapped her arms around me, her eyes closing instinctively. I groaned as her legs wrapped around my waist, forcing me deeper. I gripped her hips, pulling them flush against mine. Emerald let out a loud moan, her nails clawing my shoulders. 

I couldn’t decide if I wanted to fuck her or kill her. I could wrap my hands around her throat right now and choke her so easily. Maybe another time and maybe she’d like it. Maybe she’d like it if I fucked her on her hands and knees, spanking that perfect little ass of hers. I know I would. I’d like to see her do a lot of filthy things. Like her pretty little mouth wrapped around my cock. Her nails trailing down my back snapped me out of my thoughts. 

She moaned my name, her hips bucking against mine. Her green eyes pleaded for more. I leaned down, nipping her shoulder and sucking a purple mark in to her flesh. I started a harder pace, my fingers digging into the skin of her hips hard enough that it would probably leave more marks. Good, they would be reminders of who she belonged too. Emerald kissed me hard, moaning into my mouth, her fingers in my hair. 

I reached between us and found her clit again. Her hips bucked again and she began to get tighter as I brought her closer to an orgasm. Her nails scraped down my back again, hard enough that I was probably going to have a bunch of red trails. Emerald’s moans got louder until finally she came, my name and the word ‘fuck’ being repeated over and over as her legs went stiff and her toes curled. It was enough to push me over the edge and I held her hips flush against mine as I finished with a low moan. 

After coming down from our highs she broke out in a grin and began to giggle. I leaned down, kissing both her cheeks before laying down next to her. She rolled over, propping herself up on one arm and smiling to herself.  
“So how was that for losing your v card?” I asked.  
“Why? You want me to inflate your ego even more?” She grinned.  
“Hey it never hurts to let someone know their good in bed.”  
“Well what do you think?”  
I shrugged, “I dunno, you could have been louder.”  
She smiled and whacked me with a pillow. I pulled her down on top of me, my fingers in her hair to hold her against my lips, making a moment of pure bliss last.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Emerald’s P.O.V

I climbed into bed physically and mentally exhausted after Tessa had dragged me out for the day. I had finally told her about Jerome and the loss of the v card. Of course she demanded me to tell her every little detail. The circus was only in town for one more week and I was worried about what would happen when that week was up. I wanted Jerome to stay here with me but I didn’t exactly have a place for him to stay. And we both didn’t have the money to get a place for ourselves. I forced the thought to the back of my mind again. It was better to not think about it. 

My phone buzzed before my ringtone began to play, ‘Bubblegum Bitch’ by Marina & the Diamonds. I answered, smiling to myself.  
“Hey,” I answered.  
“Hey gorgeous,” came Jerome’s voice, “had a good day?”  
“Tiring, I would have rather spent it with you.”  
“Well there’s still time.”  
“Where are you?”  
“Outside.”

I raised an eyebrow, looking over at my window. I couldn’t see anybody out there but I could see the faint glow of a phone screen in the tree by my window. I smiled and gave a little wave. He chuckled but remained in the dark.  
“You gonna come in here or what?” I asked.  
“I will gorgeous, I want you to do a little something for me first.”  
“And what’s that?” I asked.  
“You’re going to do everything I tell you too, do you understand?”  
I bit my lip, grinning ear to ear, “and if I don’t?”  
“Then I’ll be on my merry way and go back home.”

I frowned a little. There was no need to be a meanie.  
“Alright,” I answered.  
“Good girl. Now take off those clothes for me.”  
“Jerome- “  
“Don’t be shy gorgeous, I’ve seen it all before.”  
I suppose he was right but I was still new to various sexual acts, like someone watching me strip. I put the phone on loudspeaker but made sure the volume wasn’t too loud, my parents would be asleep next door. I stood up in the empty space between my bed and the window, my fingers playing with the hem of my shirt. 

I removed my shirt with as much grace as I could manage. I’m sure he didn’t want me to just simply take my clothes off, a guy like him would want a show. I still felt kinda silly though. My hands moved down to my jeans, pushing them down a little so they rested around my hips. I then popped the button and pulled down the zipper, slow and teasing. If only I could see his face to know if I were doing a good job or not. I then turned and pulled down my jeans although there isn’t really a nice way of taking off skinny jeans. 

I reached behind me and unclasped my bra before letting it slide down my arms and on to the floor. I covered my breasts with my hands and turned back to face the window.  
“Panties too gorgeous,” he spoke, finally breaking the silence.  
“You don’t want to do that for me?”  
“Tempting but no.”  
I slid down my panties down my hips until they fell down my legs on their own. I stepped out of them and waited. I could hear heavy breathing coming from his end of the call. I smiled to myself, feeling a little proud. 

“Ok doll face now I want you to lay back down for me, I need you to get ready for me first,” he gave his next instruction.  
I lay down on my bed, getting comfy. I suppose by ‘getting ready’ for him he wanted me to touch myself. I bit my lip, as if stripping hadn’t been daunting enough. I placed my phone next to me on the pillow.  
“You’re going to be a good girl and touch yourself for me aren’t you?” He asked.  
“Yes.”  
My hand wandered down my body, resting between my legs. I hadn’t exactly touched myself before either. Another first with him. My fingers found the sensitive bundle of nerves and I let out a small gasp.

I closed my eyes and rubbed my clit in small, slow circles, getting used to my own touch. I let out a soft moan at the feeling, my body relaxing to my touch. I continued the motion, speeding up a little. I bit my lip to keep myself quiet, this was not a conversation I wanted to have with my parents. My fingers sped up causing my hips to rise a little. I heard Jerome chuckle, causing me to smile.  
“You having fun gorgeous?” He asked.  
“You tell me,” I replied a little breathless.  
“Mmm I think you’ll be having more fun once I get my hands on you.”

I held back a moan at this, continuing to touch myself. My fingers wandered lower, dipping in to my wetness. My head fell back against the pillow as I started a slow pace. I imagined it was Jerome’s fingers instead of my own. That only seemed to make things feel better. My pace sped up and I began to curl them, forcing my hips to jerk. I almost let a loud moan slip as I forgot my surroundings and focused only on my own pleasure.

My other hand came down to continue rubbing my clit. I continued both motions, my head tossing back and forth against the pillow as the pleasure continued to build and build, much like a tightness in my stomach. That pleasure soon came to a head, washing over me completely. My legs went stiff and I almost bit my lip hard enough to draw blood in order to keep myself quiet. I continued touching myself through my orgasm until my clit began to get over stimulated. 

I just lay there for a few moments to catch my breath. I heard a small tap at my window and turned my head. Jerome was waiting to be let in, I raised my finger, signalling for him to give me a minute. Eventually I got up on slightly shaky legs and opened the window, lifting it. Jerome came in and closed it behind him. There was no greeting as his lips were on mine instantly, his hands pulling me against his body. I could feel how hard he was, making me grin in to the kiss. 

“You’re going to have to be quiet now doll face, we can’t wake your parents. You think you can keep quiet for me?” He asked, pressing one of his fingers to my lips as if to shush me.  
In response I took his finger in my mouth, sucking on it and keeping eye contact with him. He bit his lip and I released his finger before batting my eyelashes and nodding. He was on me again, his hand pushing itself between my legs. I gasped at the rough contact. 

Jerome pushed me down on the bed, before taking off his clothes in a hurry. He climbed on top of me, kissing me hard. I tangled my fingers in his hair, accepting his tongue in my mouth. He rolled his hips against mine, both of us moaning at the needed friction. After lining himself up he pushed in to me. Wasting no time, he began a hard, slow pace. I was struggling to keep quiet so Jerome covered my mouth with his hand but continued his pace.  
“You know I normally like you loud but I need you to be quiet,” he whispered.  
I nodded, trying my best to become a little quieter even if I did like his hand over my mouth. 

Jerome eventually took his hand away, now gripping my hips. I wrapped my legs around his waist and pulled him down for another kiss. He groaned against my lips his pace not faltering for a second. I wasn't going to last much longer at this rate and already being stimulated. Jerome knew this and quickened his pace, searching for his own release.  
‘You gonna cum again for me gorgeous?” He asked already knowing the answer.  
I nodded, my fingers slipping between our bodies and finding my clit once more. My teeth clamped down on my bottom lip again to stop myself from moaning out loud. 

I threw my head back, my eyes shutting tight as I pushed myself over the edge and in to a few moments of pure heaven. My own orgasm triggered Jerome’s and he buried his face into my neck to muffle his groans. I smiled and kissed his temple. He nipped at my neck before pulling out and laying next to me.  
“Do I have permission to stay the night?” He asked.  
“Hmmm I think I might have to ask my parents about that one. Who knows what they'll do if they find a naked boy in the same bed as their naked daughter.”  
I smiled and got under the covers, patting the spot next to me. Jerome smiled and climbed in next to me, spooning me. I smiled, placing my hands over his, which rested on my stomach. And now he was the first boy to sleep in my bed or sleep with me for that matter. I wonder how many more firsts I was going to have with him.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Jerome’s P.O.V 

I awoke to find Emerald still asleep next to me. I smiled to myself and kissed her forehead softly so I didn’t wake her. Although maybe when she did wake up we could have some morning sex. Emerald stirred, her eyes fluttering open. She rolled over so she was facing me before pulling me close so her head was resting against my chest. I cupped her chin, tilting it a little before kissing her. She made a sound of approval, her body pressing against mine. She smiled as she felt a certain something harden against her.  
“Is this your way of saying good morning?” She smirked.  
“Well that is why they call it morning wood.”

She covered her mouth with her hand to stop herself laughing too loud. I climbed on top of her kissing her neck, which soon changed her laughter.  
“You want breakfast in bed?” She asked.  
“If your breakfast.”  
“Hmm maybe not all of me but perhaps you might find something between my legs.”  
That's when there was a knock on her bedroom door. Fucking cock blocked.  
“Emerald, breakfast is waiting. I made pancakes,” came her mother’s voice.

Her mother tried the door handle so I quickly rolled off the bed and hid to the side of it. The door opened but she didn't come in.  
“You ok?” She asked.  
“I’m fine mom.”  
“Well word of warning your father wants to discuss the job situation with you.”  
Emerald groaned and her mother closed the door. Emeralds head appeared over the side of the bed.  
“You ok?” She asked.  
“Yeah but I’ll get going, mom will be wondering where I am.”  
“Alright, text me later.”

I changed into my clothes from yesterday while Emerald put on clean ones. I kissed her goodbye and climbed out of the window. Mom was either going to be waiting for me to get home so she could scream and throw more shit at me or she had found some poor bastered to screw and wouldn’t have noticed I was gone. Let’s hope it was the latter. 

I soon reached the trailer and entered quietly, not that it mattered. She was sat at the kitchen table, her hands clasped around an empty bottle of whiskey. She turned her attention to me, her eyes narrowing to slits.  
“Where the fuck have you been?” She hissed.  
“I was working,” I lied.  
“Bullshit. You wouldn’t work all through the night. I would have seen you. So where were you?”  
I ignored her question and headed to my room. She followed me, still asking the same question and hurling insults at me. 

I dumped my coat on my bed before pushing past her to get to the kitchen. She swung for me but I ducked in time.  
“You were with that whore weren’t you?” She spat.  
This made me stop. She had the audacity to call Emerald a whore. I turned to face her.  
“Funny coming from a whore’s mouth,” I spoke.  
“What the fuck did you just call me?”  
“A dirty filthy fucking whore!”  
She for once shut her damn mouth, stunned by my outburst. I’d had enough of her bullshit, I was done letting her hurl abuse at me and nag me all the damn time. 

The whore made a move to hit me again with the bottle only this time I caught it, yanking it from her hand. I brought the bottle down on her head, she didn’t go down so I did it again. This time she went down like a tonne of bricks. But I wasn’t done yet. My eyes fell on the knife block, a grin forming. I took the largest knife and brought it down, the blade sinking in to her flesh so easily. I ignored the sound of her screams and brought the knife down over and over again until finally she was quiet. 

I sat back, my hands and clothes covered in her blood. I let out a sigh of relief, good riddance to bad things. Now it was just cleaning up. And I knew exactly who would help. I headed to the bathroom, taking the knife with me. I cleaned the knife and my hands before changing out of my bloody shirt. I put on a clean one and put the knife back in to the block. I left the trailer and locked the door behind me. Time to turn on the water works. 

I knocked on the door of Cicero’s trailer. The blind old fool wouldn’t be able to tell what had really happened. The door opened and he stood in the doorway.  
“What is it Jerome?” He asked.  
He always had a way of telling just who he was speaking too. I forced myself to cry and he placed his hand on my shoulder.  
“What is it? Is it your mother?” He asked.  
“I don’t know how it happened, she was just so mad at me. She came at me with a knife and there was an accident.”  
“How bad of an accident?”

I paused for dramatic effect, “she’s dead. But I swear I never meant to hurt her.”  
I put my head in my hands, sobbing louder for extra sympathy. It was working.  
“Take me too her, I’ll sort this out,” Cicero reassured me.  
And the Oscar goes to Jerome Valeska. Cicero and I spent the next two hours hiding my mother’s body, cleaning the floor and getting rid of any evidence. I turned on the water works again and thanked him. Now I had more work to do. Once the old bastered had left I packed all my things and snuck out. 

I headed straight to Emeralds and hid my bag in one of the bushes. Such a typical suburban home, they had a white picket fence and everything. I knocked on the door and waited. Emerald shouldn’t be home for another hour, which was just enough time. The door was opened by her mother.  
“Hi. I’m sorry to drop in like this. I’m a friend of Emeralds. Is she home?” I asked.  
“She’s out with some friends at the moment.”  
“Oh. She said I could stop by, around this time and we were gonna see a movie or something.”  
Her mother tutted and stood aside to let me in. I smiled and entered the house. 

“I apologise on her behalf but I will get her to say it herself when she gets back. she should home in about an hour,” her mother explained.  
“It’s ok, don’t worry about it, I can come back later- “  
“No, no. Take a seat in the living room, can I get you anything to drink?”  
“No thank you.”  
I followed Emeralds mother in to the living room, finding her father sat on the couch watching TV. So both parents were in. Goodie. Kill two birds with one stone. This was going to be much messier than my mother was.

But it would all be worth it in the end. Emerald would come home and jump into my arms, thanking me for finally getting rid of them. Then we could go anywhere we wanted, just the two of us. I put my hand in my pocket, wrapping my hand around the switchblade.  
“So how did you and Emerald meet?” Her father asked.  
“We were friends back in high school,” I lied.  
“I see.”  
I glanced at Emeralds mother who was busying herself in the kitchen. I pulled out my switchblade, got to my feet and slit her father’s throat. He made a small gurgling sound, his hands trying to stop the fast heavy flow of blood.

He slumped and that’s when Emeralds mother decided to scream. She looked panicked like a small scared animal. She ran for the back door but I was faster and reached her first. I pulled her back and on to the floor. She tried to back away, looking around for something she could perhaps use as a weapon. I stabbed her in the stomach, earning another screech. I removed the knife before bringing it down again and again. I laughed, what a rush. I got to my feet, leaving the knife stuck in the bloody corpse by my feet. I glanced at the clock, not long left to wait now.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im aware Jeromes arrest is different in this compared to the show but i just felt this worked better for my fic.

Chapter 7

Emerald’s P.O.V

I was back a little later than expected but it was no big deal. I unlocked the front door to find it completely dark in the house, only a slight glow coming the lounge. Nobody came to greet me which was a little odd. They couldn’t have gone out as the car was still in the drive. Maybe dad was still pissed off at me. Oh well, I was still pissed off with him. I moved further down the hall and frowned. Something was smeared across the floor. Something wasn’t right. 

I moved towards the messy floor and took a small step back when I realised what it was. Blood. Coming from my mother’s body. I rushed over to her and shook her, tears stinging my eyes. I continued to shake her, sobbing loudly in the hopes she would wake up. My hands were sticky with her blood. I had to do something. What if the killer was still here? I rushed over to the phone only a figure rushed to block my path. 

I hesitantly looked up, frowning. Jerome? His hands and clothes were covered in blood. I opened my mouth to scream but Jerome covered my mouth with his bloody hands, pinning me against the wall. He put his finger to his lips. I could taste my mother’s blood and I yanked my head to the side to vomit.  
“Please don’t hurt me,” I spoke shakily.  
“Doll that’s the last thing on my mind right now. You can stop looking so nervous now, it’s not a good look for you. You know I like it when you smile.”

I shoved him away and made another grab for the phone. He grabbed me from behind and pulled me away from it and off the floor. I kicked my legs in protest and screamed, hoping the neighbours would hear me.  
“Will you shut up. You’re going to ruin this,” he hissed.  
I started crying again, he was probably going to kill me now. He turned me round to face him, his hands on my shoulders in a possessive manner.  
“You were always complaining about them so I figured why not get rid of them?” He laughed, expecting me to find it just as funny.

His face fell when he realised I wasn’t laughing.  
“I packed your things, we’re leaving Gotham tonight. I thought this is what you wanted? Just me and you. Nobody else to bother us,” he explained.  
“I’m not going anywhere with a psycho.”  
Jerome slapped me hard. I stood there stunned for a little. I really was in deep shit.  
“That hurt my feelings but then again your not taking this as well as I’d imagined,” he spoke.  
“You murdered my parents what the hell did you expect?!”  
“A thank you, a hug. Maybe a quickie before we left.”

I turned away from him, “you’re sick.”  
I needed to think rationally. I had to find a way out of this situation and fast. Maybe I should play along, find a way to be alone for a few moments and climb out the window. It repulsed me to do this but I rested my head against his chest and mumbled an apology. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed the top of my head.  
“Your right, I’m gonna pop upstairs and take a quick shower before we go ok, I don’t exactly wanna go back outside covered in blood,” I explained.  
He nodded and let me go. I stopped myself from bolting up the stairs. I walked as casually as I could. 

Once I reached the bathroom I turned the water on and locked the door. No sooner the door was locked I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialled 911. I kept my voice down just in case he could hear me over the running water. The operator insisted I stay on the line but I knew better. He could be outside listening in right now. As if on cue the handle moved as if he were trying to get in. Fuck. I turned and ran to the window. That’s when I remembered the bathroom window had been getting stuck halfway up when you tried to open it. Please don’t get stuck now. 

I pushed the window up as far as it would go, but it still stuck. Shit. I heard the door slam against the wall as he’d managed to get it open. Jerome grabbed me by my hair and pulled me away from the window. Pinning me against the wall again, he pressed his knife against my cheek.  
“What the fuck have you done?” He growled.  
I didn’t answer, I didn’t need to. Jerome sighed, grabbing fistfuls of his hair and made an irritated sound, blood now streaking his hair.  
“You had to ruin this didn’t you? I try to do something nice for you and this is that thanks I get!”

He took my phone from me and threw it on the floor before stamping on it as if to take out some of his frustration. Better that than me. That’s when we heard sirens in the distance. Jerome paced the bathroom and I remained still, afraid that anything I did would end up with him killing me. Any other criminal would have run for it by now. The sirens soon stopped but the flashing lights remained. I could hear cops getting out of their cars outside. Please hurry. 

Jerome decided to advance on me again, one hand wrapping around the back of my neck.  
“How about one last kiss before they cart me off to the looney bin gorgeous?” He asked.  
I suppose I would grant him that if it stopped him from killing me but he didn’t even give me time to answer as his lips were on mine. The kiss lasted way longer than I wanted it too so I pushed him off of me. At that point a pudgy detective with scruffy facial hair, a large brown coat and hat had made it to the top of the stairs and pointed his gun at Jerome.  
“Drop the knife carrot top!” The detective yelled.

Jerome dropped the knife as instructed and put his hands in the air. A cop appeared from behind the detective and cuffed Jerome, leading him out of the bathroom and down the stairs. The detective came over to me to check if I was injured at all. I burst in to tears again, seeking comfort. The male took off his coat and wrapped it around me before leading me out of my home and in to the back of a separate car. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was sat in a small questioning room in the GCPD. I had noticed the funny looks some of the officers had given me. Forgive me for being a little too distraught and not cleaning the blood off myself before coming down here. Three people entered the room. Two men and a woman. One of them was a detective, wearing a simple blue suit. The other I had no idea but he looked like a lawyer. The female had short black hair and was dressed in a simple blouse and pencil skirt. The female sat next to me. The males sat down opposite us. 

They all introduced themselves. The female was Doctor Lee Thompkins. The guy in the blue suit was Detective James Gordon and the other guy was indeed a lawyer, Harvey Dent.  
“Where is he?” I asked.  
“A few rooms down, but he can’t get out. He confessed to everything,” Jim explained.  
I frowned. So he wanted to be caught and locked away? Why? I started to cry again and Lee put her hand on my shoulder in a comforting manner.  
“We can assure you that there’s going to be no trial, not with the amount of evidence and the confession. He’s going straight to Arkham Asylum where he’ll be left to rot,” Harvey explained.

“And what about me? What about my life that he’s ruined?” I spoke.  
“Is there some family you could stay with or a close friend?” Jim asked.  
“I guess.”  
“I was thinking perhaps some therapy would be helpful at a time like this. You’ve been through something so traumatic that the mind is probably damaged,” Lee said.  
“Therapy is kinda the least important thing on my mind right now but I’ll consider it once I sort things out.”  
“We just want to help you Emerald.”

They soon let me go, I called Tessa, explained the situation and waited for her to pick me up. Lee sat with me while I waited. Tessa soon arrived and pulled me into a tight hug.  
“Is that your blood?” She asked.  
I gripped the nearby stair railing and shook my head. I knew if I let go I would crumple to the floor. Tessa only seemed to hug me tighter and took my free hand in hers.  
“There’s press outside waiting for you, I would have parked round the back but it’s staff only,” Tessa babbled.  
“Its fine.”

Tessa led me outside, my bag of spare clothes in hand. No sooner I set foot out the door, cameras started flashing and people started shouting questions and shoving either a camera or a microphone in my face. Tessa continued dragging me through the crowd and to her car. Once inside I began sobbing again, hiding my face with my hands. 

What was I meant to do now? I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life beforehand but now with my parents gone it seemed my only sense of direction or guidance was gone. It was my fault; I should have seen through his quirky yet charming demeanour. He'd taken everything from me, my parents, my home, my life, any sense of normality I once had and my damn virginity. Why did I have to attract and fall for a psychopath? Of all the people, I had to attract the crazy ones.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Jerome’s P.O.V

11 months later 

I sat in the rec room with Sionis, Dobkins, Helzinger and Greenwood. Although if I had the choice I would have killed Greenwood a long time ago, he really knew how to piss me off. The others I could handle; they knew when to shut their mouths. To be honest I only hung around with Sionis because he could get you things in a place like this. Newspapers, phones, food, knives. You wanted it he would find a way to get it. 

One day I would get out of here, I just hadn’t quite figured out how yet. The guards didn’t give a shit about the 'patients' here, some of them you could bribe, others would need a little more violent persuasion. Once I got out of here though I would find Emerald. It wouldn’t take much, I would just have to find a certain reporter who kept following her around and make them talk. Jack Ryder was a nosy bastered. But I guess it benefited me whenever he did write an article about what had happened eleven months ago. It normally involved pictures of Emerald. 

And those articles stopped me from thinking she had moved on and gotten over it. She’d done the complete opposite, apparently she was seeing a therapist and taking self-defence classes. Greenwood was droning on and on about some woman he had killed and then eaten. Fucking cannibals, they never understood that eating people gets old and boring eventually. Sionis was the better story teller, he actually had done something fun and interesting to get in here. Sionis had run a huge company and any new employees had to fight it out to the death in order to get the desired job position. 

I yawned at Greenwood and his face fell.  
“What’s your problem?” He snapped.  
“Your stories are all the same, it’s boring.”  
“Like you can do better, killing your mommy and your girlfriend’s parents. Sorry ex-girlfriend.”  
“At least I didn’t have to kill a woman because they didn’t like me or my advances.”  
“Boys cut it out, we don’t need either of you going to solitary confinement again,” Sionis stepped in.  
“Oh I don’t know about that; I think Greenwood quite likes it there. I know I would if I had the right company.”  
“And we don’t need a pornographic description of that Jerome.”  
“I have no idea what you mean,” I grinned.

“No he’s right, it’s bad enough at night with your little shrine. Oh Emerald,” Greenwood moaned clearly imitating me.  
Dobkins snickered at this but that was soon cut short with the look I gave him.  
“Let’s count here how many of us have actually got laid shall we? Well there’s me, probably Sionis, I mean look at the guy. Dobkins you’re just a schizo rapist so that just doesn’t count,” I turned my attention to Helzinger who looked completely clueless, “well that’s a no. And Greenwood, that’s definitely a no. So I think you need to shut your mouth.”  
“You gonna make me?” Greenwood challenged.

I looked around, taking note of the lack of guards around here. They’d come soon enough when they heard Greenwood screaming. Sionis glanced at me and rolled his eyes.  
“What?” I asked.  
“Nothing, you know if you hurt him which I would like to see, you’ll go to solitary confinement and all your privileges will be taken away,” he spoke matter of factly.  
“My privileges were pretty shitty anyway.”  
I lunged over the table at Greenwood, pushing him down on to the hard floor. Sionis stayed where he was sat but watched from over the top of his newspaper. Dobkins moved out of the way with a shriek and Helzinger remained oblivious as always.

I drew my fist back before it collided with Greenwoods face. I heard a small crack as his nose gave. He rolled us over pinning me down with his weight, I guess fatties had that advantage. And of course in perfect timing the room filled with guards that pulled Greenwood off me. They dragged Greenwood away and waited for me to get up, made sure I was ok before leaving the room. Even better, no Greenwood for a day and none of my privileges were taken away. I decided to go back to my room instead. 

The guards were more than happy when a patient wanted to go back to their room, it made their job easier. Once in my room they closed the door and locked it. I smiled to myself, home sweet home. I glanced at the walls that were covered in newspaper articles and pictures of Emerald. I sat down on my bed, my attention focusing on the two page article closest to me. My fingers ran over the paper, tracing over Emeralds lips.  
“I'll see you soon doll face.”


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Emerald’s P.O.V

I kept my head down as a guard led me down the hallway. I shouldn’t be doing this; I shouldn’t be in a place like this. I was asking for trouble. I should turn back now, say that I changed my mind. But I needed closure. It had been a year, I need to get over it and move on. Doctor Thompkins was the one constantly going on about my need for closure. It didn’t help as it got closer to the one-year anniversary that I kept having nightmares. I’m sure Tessa was getting fed up with me screaming in the night. 

The guard opened a door on the left and held it open for me. I knew he would already be inside, I checked my bag for my meds before cautiously stepped in to the small, simple room. Inside was a simple table and two chairs, one of which was already occupied. Luckily he was cuffed to the table so he wouldn’t be able to move very far. I avoided his gaze and sat down opposite him. The door was closed and we were alone. 

I removed my large sun hat and sunglasses before finally looking at him. He was grinning ear to ear, leaning forward eagerly.  
“As happy as I am that you finally came to visit I definitely prefer you as blonde gorgeous,” he spoke.  
I’d dyed my hair black in the hopes that reporters would stop following me, it had worked on most of them.  
“I think we have half an hour before I’m dragged back to my cell, I’d love more time with you, I sure have missed you and that perfect little body of yours. I’ve had a lot of time to think about all the dirty things I’d like to do to you, I guess I can make a few of them reality now,” he chuckled.

I gave him a look of disgust, my nails digging in to my palms.  
“Oh don’t be like that, it’s been a year with only my right hand for company.”  
“I’m not here for a social visit,” I finally spoke.  
“Let me guess, you want closure on why I did it right? You already know the answer.”  
“I don’t quite believe that because my parents were arguing with me at the time is a good enough reason to kill them. Everyone argues with their parents from time to time. So why did you do it?”  
“Take a look around, where are we and what kind of people live in a place like this?”

Oh no, I wasn’t accepting him being crazy as an answer, that was bullshit. He hadn’t been like that with me before the incident, something had caused him to change.  
“So none of what we had before was real?” I asked.  
“Admittedly I wasn’t really myself around you or anybody for that matter but I did want to be with you, still do.”  
“Well I’ve found someone else,” I lied.  
His face fell. I felt like slamming my head on the table, why did I have to say something like that? Because I wanted to hurt him, like he’s hurt me. 

“You’re not helping yourself here doll face, I’m sure you won’t appreciate it if I kill another person in your life. Or are you just saying that because you want to piss me off because I would advise against that. That would be a very bad idea.” Jerome explained.  
“While you’re stuck in here you can’t do shit. Nobody’s coming to get you out. You’re going to rot in here and you’re going to be alone,” I hissed.  
“Oooo I think that hurt my feelings a little there.”  
“If you’re not going to give me a proper answer then I’ll go.”

“Well I can’t do much to stop you like this,” he made a show of tugging on the cuffs, “but no goodbye kiss?”  
“Nope.”  
“You know playing hard to get is just going to make me want even more. I’m sure there’s a lot of things you miss about me.”  
I shook my head.  
“Fine, come back when you stop lying to yourself. And next time come back as a blonde.”  
I rolled my eyes and exited the room, marching down the hallways to the exit. I had to keep it together. Even if I could feel the start of a panic attack making itself known. 

As soon as I was outside and out the gates I finally let myself cry. I was never going to get closure. I rooted around in my bag and found the tablets that helped with my panic attacks. I took one of the pills and dry swallowed it. I checked the time on my phone and sighed. I had half an hour to get to the apartment, I had another therapy appointment with Lee. I got in my car and took the quicker route across the city. I arrived, parked and headed inside. Tessa was out thankfully. 

Tessa and I had bought an apartment together thinking it would help me, frankly it had done the opposite and taken a toll on our friendship. We argued a lot more now. I made sure the lounge was somewhat tidy and waited. Lee arrived on time and I made her a glass of water before we sat down in the lounge, opposite each other. She pulled out her notebook and smiled kindly.  
“So how are you feeling today?” She asked.  
“Uhm, I’m tired, I had another nightmare last night,” I explained.  
“Same one as before?”  
“Yeah.”  
“Anything else? You seem a little off today.”

She always had a way of telling, I’m sure all therapists did. I knew she wouldn’t be happy with my Arkham visit today but there was no way I could hide it from her.  
“I went to Arkham today-“ I began.  
“What? Emerald you know that’s not a good place for you to go. After all the progress we’ve made you think going there will help?”  
“You said I needed closure. I thought I would maybe get that from him.”  
“You actually sat down and spoke to him?”  
I nodded and Lee shook her head.

“Do you realise what could have happened? A girl like you doesn’t need to go to a place like that trust me I know.”  
“How do you know?”  
“I worked there before the GCPD. There was a breakout and if it wasn’t for Detective Gordon I don’t want to think about what could have happened to me. My point is your still in recovery and seeing him could completely undo what we’ve been working on.”  
“I’m sorry, I just thought it might help if I got answers. It might help me move on from what happened.”

“And how’s your relationship with Tessa?” Lee asked.  
“Uh, not so great. We had another argument this morning.”  
“What was it about?”  
“Apparently I’m not trying to make myself better even though I’m going to fucking therapy, I’m taking all my damn meds and I’m going to self-defence classes, I’m like what else does she fucking want from me? Some days I just feel like…” I trailed off.  
“No come on finish that sentence.”  
“If I do then you’ll lock me up.”

Lee sighed and placed her hand on mine, “I’m not going to lock you up Emerald. Arkham is the last place you’re going to get better. So did you get the answers you wanted for Jerome?”  
At this point I was on my feet pacing, “no. He said he did it because he’s crazy and it was as if everything was a joke to him. I honestly don’t know how I held it together in there but everyone was staring at me just like they did the night it happened and I could feel myself about to have a panic attack,” at this point I was crying and shaking.  
“Emerald sit down. Breathe.”  
“I need you to prescribe me something else.”

Lee checked her notes and shook her head, “I can’t, your already on a lot of medication for things like your depression, your anxiety, your panic attacks, your sleep deprivation. You should be full on all of them.”  
“Well I’m not, I’m running out. I just need something please.”  
“Have you tried your breathing exercises?”  
“Are you for fucking real right now? You think breathing exercises are gonna help me? I’m tired of everyone thinking that I’m strong enough to get through this, I’m not and I’m tired of pretending that I am.”  
“But you are strong enough. Listen to me, today is the one-year anniversary of the incident so it’s not going to be a good day for you at all and I don’t think you helped your situation by going to Arkham.”

I’d had enough. Therapy hadn’t been working for a long time, she wasn’t listening to me.  
“I think you should go,” I suggested.  
“Emerald-“  
“Get out!”  
Lee sighed, packed away her notebook and got to her feet. I followed her out of the lounge and too the door.  
“If you're so fucking worried about me how about you get your boyfriend to keep an eye on me or does he have more important cases to work on.”  
Lee ignored the statement and left the apartment, I slammed the door behind her and punched the wall, screaming in frustration. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tessa came home an hour later and she didn’t look happy, meaning Lee had called her and told her what happened. Yay another person to lecture me. I sat down at the kitchen table, resting my chin against my hand as she droned on and on like usual.  
“You shouldn’t push her away Emerald, she’s trying to help you,” Tessa spoke, while packing away groceries.  
“No she just sits in the fucking chair and judges me.”  
“You’re not going to get better overnight. You have to take it one day at a time.”  
“One day at a time. One fucking day at a time. That’s almost as bad as her suggestion for damn breathing exercises. None of you know what’s best for me!”  
“Do you even fucking know what’s best for you? Because apparently you think going to Arkham to see that psycho is good for you!”

We both fell silent at that point. My jaw clenched. What the fuck did she know? Nothing. I got to my feet, heading over to her.  
“You don’t know shit. He may be crazy but he was right about you. You need to shut your fucking mouth!”  
Tessa flinched and took a step back. She shoved me away and pushed past me, heading to the lounge. I turned slowly, my eyes falling to the cutlery draw. I yanked it open, the knives and forks rattling together. My hand clasped over one of the larger knives, bringing it up to the light. 

I followed her silently into the lounge, standing in the doorway to block her from escaping.  
“You’re a fucking bitch you know that,” Tessa spoke, not turning round to face me.  
“I learnt from the best.”  
I stepped further into the room, standing behind her now. She turned to face me, ready to throw another insult but she noticed the knife and her eyes widened in fear. Before she could scream or cry for help I pushed the blade in to her stomach. Tessa made a small sound, clutching at her stomach. 

I removed the blade, watching her sink to her knees, weakened by the stab. I followed quickly, straddling her and plunging the knife in to her over and over. Her blood covered my hands and the blade. I looked down at Tessa, laughing although it soon turned to crying. What had I done? I dropped the knife and held her limp body in my arms, pushing her bloody hair out of her face.  
“No, no, no, Tessa please. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it,” I sobbed.  
I had no choice but to leave her body, I had killed her. I was a monster. I ran from the room, grabbing my handbag. 

I got into my car and dumped the contents of my bag on the passenger seat next to me. Where the fuck were my keys? I pushed various pill bottles aside and finally found my car keys. I shakily put them in the ignition and started the car. I had to end this bullshit for good. I knew the perfect place. The journey didn’t take long and I parked in the drive, staring up at my childhood home. The home that had been ruined and taken from me. I put the pill bottles back in my bag as well as the rest of my junk before getting out of the car. It would be stupid to try the front door. 

It would be locked and the locks themselves had been changed after the house had gone up for sale, but nobody wanted to buy a house where two murders had taken place. I headed round the back to where I would find the window to my room. I climbed the drain pipe, having done this a few times in the past when I had to sneak in late. It was doubtful the window would actually be unlocked, so I was willing to smash it in order to get in. 

I tried the window and to my surprise it slid upwards, allowing me entry. I climbed inside and closed the window behind me. My room wasn’t the same, none of the house was. It had all been stripped of life, all of the walls plain white. I sat down in the centre of the living room and wrapped my arms around myself, sobbing into my knees. I dumped the contents of my bag on to the floor in front of me. I found my lighter and flicked the switch, watching the flame flicker. I placed the lighter down and opened up all my pill bottles. Barely any left, but it should be enough. That and the different types wouldn’t help. 

I took all the pills, one after one and drank a few mouthfuls of water from the kitchen sink. I smiled to myself, and headed back into the living room. I picked up my lighter and headed to the huge curtains. They didn’t take long to set alight, the flame spreading fast. I headed upstairs to my room and lay down on the bed that was no longer my own. I had sold the house to an estate agent and they had done what they wished with it. 

I closed my eyes, wrapping the sheets around myself. I could just go to sleep and never wake up. Nice and simple. The house and I would cease to exist, nobody would really notice and nobody would care. I’d lost the people who had cared but I would be with them soon.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry it took me forever to upload this but i've been really busy the last few weeks and then when i have a free moment i just wasn't in the mood to write.

Chapter 10

Jerome’s P.O.V

I sat in the rec room, bored yet again. They needed to get some entertainment in here, like a pool table or something. It would be fun to chase Dobkins around with a pool cue. Although today was the day I finally got to see Emerald again. She had finally snapped, killed that mouthy bitch and tried to kill herself in a house fire. Now that was crazy. She had been finally released from the hospital only to end up at a worse one. And with little old me. Shame I couldn’t really decorate and throw her a decent welcome home party. 

The door opened and Emerald was lead inside, her cuffs removed. She looked around the room and spotted me. I smiled and her face fell. She headed over to the furthest corner and sat down at an empty table. Greenwood leaned forward in his chair, grinning and looking Emerald up and down.   
“Finally some good looking crazy,” he drooled.  
Sionis shook his head, he knew exactly who she was and he knew who she belonged to. I pushed him back into his chair, cocking my head to the side.   
“Touch her and you’ll regret it,” I warned.

Greenwood glared at me before he realised who she was. He smiled and motioned for me to go over to her.   
“If she’s yours then why isn’t she sitting with you? Oh that’s right because she hates you,” He smirked.  
“Watch and learn you big ol’ tub of lard.”  
I got to me feet and walked straight over to her with determined strides. She had nowhere to run in a place like this so she would have to listen to me. 

I sat down opposite Emerald and smiled. She ignored and focused on the wall behind me.   
“I would have thrown you a welcome home party but I couldn’t get some decent decorations, I’m sure I could make it up to you later in my cell though,” I explained.  
I noticed how she clenched her fists and took a deep breath as if to calm herself.   
“You can’t ignore me in here doll. You’ve got nowhere to run here,” I grinned.  
“If you so much as lay a finger on me you’ll regret it.”  
“Is that so? Well if you do that then you will be taken to solitary and I can’t exactly visit you in there.”

Emerald considered something for a moment and grinned darkly before diving over the table and pinning me to the floor. Her fist collided with my face over and over until finally she was pulled off of me by a single guard. Emerald broke free after kneeing the poor guy between the legs and pushing me back down on to the cold hard floor. She clawed at me and spat, screaming how I should be dead instead of her parents. Another two guards stepped in a pulled her off, lifting her off her feet as she continued to struggle. 

Emerald was carried out of the room and I got to my feet, blood running down my face. Everyone was staring, some of them trying to hide their laughter. One of them being Greenwood. Fucking little bitch had humiliated me in front of all these crazies. Maybe getting her back onto my side was going to be a lot harder than I thought. 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I tried various things to get Emerald back onto my side, making paper flowers, letting her beat the shit out of me a few times, letting her scream at me. It was all getting very boring, she said the same things over and over again. At least I hadn’t gone crazy and tried to kill myself. A lot of others avoided her except those who wanted to be her ‘friend’ meaning they either wanted her protection or wanted to get in her pants.

Not that it mattered she spent most of her time in solitary confinement although some of the staff were starting to understand why. They were thinking of just keeping her in a straight jacket for most of the time instead of letting her have her way and go to solitary. A straight jacket would make things fun, then I could actually get a word in before she punched me. Maybe I should try sneaking in during shower time, see if I couldn’t make it up to her then. 

She needed to understand that I did it for her own good. She was so much better off without her parents and her old life. Now she had a life with no rules, she was completely in control of everything. The sooner she realised this the better. I was the best thing for her, she was mine. Mine to do whatever I pleased with. I had made her realise her full potential. Without me killing her parents she wouldn't have taken self-defence classes which of course now benefit her as she can fight and defend herself.

I sat down with her at lunch, my tray of food in front of me. Emerald avoided my gaze, her straight jacket stopping her from eating and there was no orderly to assist her. I guess being the gentleman I am I would help her out. I picked up her plastic fork and gathered some mashed potato on it...well if you could call it that. I held the fork to her mouth and she clamped her lips shut, glaring at me.  
“Stop being stubborn or you'll go hungry, it’s your own fault you can’t feed yourself,” I said matter of factly.

She hesitantly opened her mouth and allowed the fork to pass her lips. Emerald ate the forkful of food, still avoiding eye contact with me.   
“Don’t forget your manners doll,” I spoke.  
“Go fuck yourself.”  
I sighed and put down the fork, pretending to be hurt.   
“Now Emerald all I’ve done is be nice to you in here and you just beat me in return. I have feelings of my own you know,” I covered my eyes as if crying.

“You think I give a shit about your feelings? You clearly didn’t take mine into consideration when you murdered my parents,” she said in a cold manner.   
I sighed and let my hands drop, rolling my eyes at her.  
“You ever gonna let that go? Didn’t your therapist tell you to let your grief go or some other bullshit along those lines?”  
“My therapist told me a lot of things. Mainly to never see you again.”  
“And yet you came to visit and now you’re stuck for good. You just couldn’t keep away could ’ya.”  
“I can, you’re the one who can’t take a hint to fuck off.”

I picked up her fork again and gathered another lot of food, “careful now, I could let you struggle to feed yourself.”  
She shrugged as if she couldn’t care less. But yet she still accepted the next forkful of food.   
“Shame I can’t feed you something else,” I smirked.  
“You're so damn lucky I’m in this straight jacket.”  
“Oh I know.”


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Emerald’s P.O.V

I headed to one of the examination rooms/punishment rooms in Arkham. I had made a deal with some of the bigger guys in this place. They could hang out with me and protect me as long as they did as I asked and when I asked. It was nice to have such power for once. I’d set them up a little task with a certain ginger. I still needed revenge on him for murdering my parents and ruining my life. I entered the room to find Jerome exactly where I wanted him. Strapped down to the infamous red chair. The chair where if you pissed off security they would strap you down and beat the shit out of you. I had yet to experience that thankfully. Jerome on the other hand was a regular. 

He grinned when he saw me. One thing was for sure once I was finished with him he wouldn’t be grinning anymore.   
“I thought it might be you this time gorgeous. The giant monkeys gave it away,” he chuckled.   
I dismissed my ‘friends’ and stepped closer to Jerome. I could kill him if I wanted and it was tempting. But first I wanted him to suffer, make him beg for mercy. Then I would decide what do with him.   
“Have I been a bad boy?” He asked mockingly.   
“You know the answer to that.”

He rolled his eyes, letting out an over the top sigh.   
“How many times do I have to tell you that I did it for you,” he said.  
“No more mind games,” I said calmly, “you need to be punished for your crimes.”  
His eyes darkened, his grin not faltering, “Is that why you wanted me tied up doll?”  
He talked way too much for his own good. I punched him hard in the stomach, making him go in to a coughing fit as he was winded. That didn’t stop him from laughing though.  
“That’s all you got doll? I taught you to hit better than that,” he half laughed and half coughed.   
I hit him again, going for his face this time. I heard a crack and smiled to myself, knowing that I had broken his nose. 

“Better but I’ll warn you. Hit me again and there will be trouble,” his tone lowered.  
“You won’t be leaving that chair.”  
He burst forward but the length of the chained collar stopped him from getting any closer before he sank back in to the chair.   
“You wanna know what I’m going to do to you once I get out of here?” Jerome growled.  
“Enlighten me.”  
“I’m gonna have you, I’m gonna violate that perfect little body of yours. Make you cry and beg for more.”  
I scoffed, rolling my eyes, “you don’t scare me anymore.”  
“Oh but I should. I’ve had a lot of time to think about what I want to do to you. I’ve got plenty of ideas.”

I sighed. He needed to be shut up again. I punched him in the stomach again, before delivering various blows to his body. I let my anger consume me, taking it all out on him. He deserved it. Eventually I stopped, my knuckles a little bloody and scrapped. Jerome spat out a little blood, chuckling again.   
“You’re not gonna kill me doll,” he smirked.  
“You’re so sure of that?”  
“You need me. You’re too stubborn to admit it but right now I’m all you have. You’re the one that went crazy, killed your roommate and tried to kill yourself in a house fire. Nobody wants a crazy girl except yours truly of course.”

I shook my head, refusing to listen to him. No way did I need him.   
“You know why I did it didn’t you? You kept complaining about them so I thought why not get rid of them too. I mean look how much better off I am without my parents. They were holding you back doll,” he explained.  
I growled and slapped him before gripping his face, digging my nails in to his cheeks.   
“I mean I really like this side of you,” he smiled.  
I’d had enough. I rummaged around in the drawers until I found a scalpel. I grabbed a fistful of his hair, pulling back to expose his neck, holding the blade to it.   
“Carful now doll. You shouldn’t play with knives even if this is really doing it for me right now.”

“But you should be thanking me, I did you such a favour. I could see the real you. Without your parents and your old boring 9-5 life your free. No more white picket fences, no more bitchy blonde bimbos your called friends, no more sleepovers where you talk about boys and do each other’s hair. No more bullshit Emerald. You now can do whatever the hell you want, when you want. You want something then you can just take it, money then we’ll go rob a bank, you want someone dead, we’ll go find some bum in an ally. Don’t you see what I’ve done for you,” he explained.

I took a small step back, his words sinking in. But what was freedom when you’re in a cage with no escape in sight? We wouldn’t be getting out of a place like this.   
“I just thought I was doing what was best for you, I wanted you to be happy,” he continued.  
“I was happy. I was happy with you.”  
“I’m still here and I’m not going anywhere.”  
“But you killed my parents.”  
“You know with how much you keep banging on about them I’m starting to wish I hadn't.”  
“But you never would have been honest to me. Or yourself.”

Jerome smiled, “see now you’re starting to understand. You see love is shown through many different ways, mine was shown by killing your parents, killing my whore mother and waiting for you in here.”  
I shook my head, coming to my senses. No he didn’t love me, he couldn't. It was wrong. I needed to think about things away from him. I let the scalpel drop with a soft clang against the tiled floor. I turned and left, motioning for him to be let go to the one ‘friend’ who had waited outside.

I went straight back to my cell and sat down on my bed, my fingers in my hair. I could be happy again. But I don’t know if I would be the same anymore if I gave in. I wasn’t the same now, my stupid dyed hair and my depressive state. This wasn’t me. With him I felt like I could do anything, I wanted that feeling back. I didn’t want to be alone anymore; I didn’t want to be misunderstood anymore. With him I was free. 

I could feel him watching me and I looked up to find him leaning against the doorway. I felt bad for all the horrible things I had done to him now.   
“It felt good killing her didn’t it?” He asked.  
I wasn’t going to lie to myself anymore, “yes,” I said barely above a whisper.  
He grinned and stepped further into the room, crouching before me and taking my hands in his.   
“How good did it feel?” He continued.  
“Like I had the power over her life, I had the power to take it away for good. And I…I want that power again.”

As if possible his grin grew and he cupped my cheek, wiping away a stray tear that had made its way down my cheek. I returned the smile, accepting his affection.   
“I’m sorry I’ve been such a bitch,” I spoke.   
“I’m sorry too doll face.”  
He brought my hands to his lips, kissing the backs of each hand. I slipped a hand in to his hair and pulled him into a proper kiss. Jerome wrapped his arms around my waist and picked me up, spinning me round. I laughed, wrapping my arms around him. I smiled, making a sound of contentment. 

Jerome kissed me and set me down so I could close the door. Once it closed, the door locked itself and I climbed onto my bed, motioning for Jerome to lay down with me. He did so, wrapping his arms around me whilst I rested my head on his chest. He kissed the top of my head, running his fingers through my hair.  
“You know anybody that could sneak me in some hair dye?” I asked.  
“As a matter of fact I do.”


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Jerome’s P.O.V

Emeralds hair was now back to its normal blonde and she was a lot happier in herself. She sat with us at meals, laughing at my jokes and Sionis’ stories. The only one she didn’t get on with was Greenwood but I couldn’t blame her. I don’t know why he still hung out with us when he knew none of us liked him. And our new addition Barbara Kean who got on very well with Emerald. Both of them had met in female group therapy and Emerald insisted she join the group. 

Emerald and I still hadn’t had a chance for some good ’ol make up sex yet and it was starting to get on my nerves. Every time I tried to make a move on her some fucking guard would appear and take one of us away from the other. We were loitering in one of the quieter hallways, sharing a smoke. I handed it to Emerald who glanced around before accepting.   
“What? You scared we’re gonna get caught gorgeous?” I asked.  
“Oh no. I was simply looking for something.”  
A grin spread across her features and she led me down the hallway, stopping in the middle.

I shrugged, unsure what she had in mind until she made me look up. A smoke detector. Very clever.   
“Hoist me up,” she spoke.   
I crouched in front of her and she climbed on to my back before I stood upright again. Emerald took a drag and then blew the smoke at the device. She did it a few more times to make sure it actually went off and sure enough alarms started blaring as well as the sprinkler system being triggered. Emerald squealed as the cold water hit her skin and I helped her down. I then took her hand and led her to the nearest supply closet, shoving the both of us inside to hide while the asylum was evacuated. 

Both of us were already drenched thanks to the sprinklers so I reached for the hem of her dress, going to pull it off her. Her hand covered mine, stopping me for a second.   
“And what do you think you’re doing?” She grinned.  
“Well we can’t stay in these wet clothes.”  
Emerald took her hand away, letting me pull the dress up and over her before tossing it to the floor. Her underwear was plain and white but it would be off soon enough. It didn’t matter, not with how much I had missed her body. 

I pressed my body into hers, all logical thought gone. I needed her and she knew it. Emerald moaned in to my mouth, her fingers in my hair as my hands cupped her breasts. One hand moved lower, pressing between her legs. I rubbed her through her panties, feeling the material grow damper the more I touched her. Emerald pulled my inmate shirt off and then my undershirt before working on the inmate trousers. I reached round unclasping her bra and dragging it off her arms before tearing her panties off. 

The alarm and patter of water was just background noise; all my attention was on her. I picked her up, using the wall behind her as leverage as well as he legs wrapping around my waist. She wrapped her arms around me, her lips on mine. I kept her pressed against the wall, while I blindly pulled my boxers down my waist.   
“You gonna be a good girl for daddy?” I asked.  
“But I thought daddy liked bad girls.”

I lined myself up before forcing myself in, both of us moaning at the missed contact. I instantly began a fast, hard pace, Emerald clinging to me. Her nails dug in to the back of my neck and she pulled me into a sloppy kiss.   
“Fuck I’ve missed this perfect little cunt.”  
I sucked a purple mark on her neck before leaving various marks across her collarbone and chest. I needed to mark her as mine. Her pale skin covered in various marks of purple and red was a nice contrast. 

Emerald moaned, her facial expression one of pure ecstasy as she continued to cling to me. Her nails raked down my neck to my shoulder blades as her hips began meeting me with each thrust. The closet was filled with sounds of skin slapping against skin and various moans and groans. If the evacuation procedure finished and people came looking for us we wouldn’t have known or cared at this point, we were both to far lost in each other. 

Maybe I should sneak into her cell at night or into the showers just to fuck her. My tongue fought against hers as I continued the rough pace. I could feel myself coming close already. I guess that’s what happens when you don't get any pussy for over a year. One of my hands moved to find her clit. It didn’t take long and the breathy gasp from her told me I'd found it.  
“You gonna cum for me gorgeous?” I asked.  
She nodded, her moans getting louder and her hips bucking into my touch. She soon came, her limbs going ridged, her brow furrowing and crying out my name.

I growled against her neck as the walls of her cunt clenched around my cock, bringing on my own orgasm. My thrusts slowed until eventually my hips stilled. I kissed her hard before setting her down, her legs a little shaky. I grinned, I must be good if she was now struggling to stand. We waited till we had some energy before getting redressed into our wet inmate clothes.   
“Whad’ya wanna bet we're gonna be in big trouble?” I asked.  
“Shame they won’t put us in solitary together, it’s nice and cushiony in there,” Emerald winked suggestively.

I took Emeralds hand in mine, pulling her into a kiss before we left the supply closet. The sprinkler system was still running. We ran through the wet hallways to the fire exit where we found inmate, guards, doctors and nurses outside. Emerald smiled and began making a fuss as we were separated.  
“We could have died in there; I see how it is with you guards. Make sure everyone else is safe from the potential fire but leave us to burn to death,” Emerald spoke.   
The guard holding her rolled his eyes ignoring her, whilst she was cuffed by another and then pushed towards the group of female inmates. I’m sure later on we would be put in solitary.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Emerald was sat next to me in the rec room, twirling a strand of hair round her finger and blowing bubbles with her bubble gum whilst Barbra was leant against Sionis while Helzinger painted her toe nails a blood red colour. Greenwood and Dobkins were also sat with us. We were all pretty bored, nothing to do in this hell hole.   
“Someone tell me a funny story,” Barbara sighed.   
Emerald perked up, nodding in agreement. She turned to me hopefully. I smiled it was cute how she thought of me first. 

Sionis always had a good story though, “ok so when I was in college on the polo team I had these ponies-“  
He was interrupted by a new inmate, some fat balding guy. Hey maybe Greenwood and him could get along they had one thing in common.   
“Greetings I am Zaardon The Soul Reaper!” He announced.   
Emerald giggled and blew another bubble before everyone turned their attention back to whatever they had been doing beforehand.  
“So I had these ponies,” Sionis continued.   
“Hear me slaves! My patience is wearing thin, surrender your souls to me,” ‘Zaardon’ climbed on the table now,” or I swear by the master I shall feast on your pain and crush you like a bug.”  
The guy let out a pathetic cough before doubling over in to a coughing fit. He then passed out on the table, some weird blue gas escaping his mouth. Whatever it was, it was sending the guards and inmates to sleep.

I turned to Emerald and covered her nose and mouth with my hand. As long as she didn’t breathe it in I didn’t care about me. My vision began to blacken and my legs grow weak. My body soon gave in and I collapsed to the floor, passing out like the rest of the inmates.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Emerald’s P.O.V

I awoke with my head in someone’s lap. I frowned at the feeling of soft silk, it couldn’t be Jerome. Was I dreaming? I sleepily looked up to find Barbara looking down at me, smiling softly as she stroked my hair. I looked around, we were on a soft plush couch in a wide, well lit room. A fireplace at the side, a desk near a huge window overlooking Gotham. We weren’t in Arkham anymore that’s for sure.   
“Hey beautiful, it’s about time you woke up,” Barbara smiled.  
“Where are we? Where’s Jerome?”  
“Relax, we’re safe and Jerome’s out with the others. I promised to watch over you until he got back. He never told me how cute you look when you're asleep.”

I could feel a slight blush creep along my cheeks. I sat up and turned to face Barbara, taking another glance around the room. I was still in my Arkham dress while Barbara was wearing a cream silk nightgown and black silk dressing gown. She smelled good too, a mixture of strawberries and soap.   
“You need to explain what happened,” I spoke.  
“We were broke out of Arkham by the man that lives here because apparently he sees potential in us.”  
“A group of murderers?”  
“Apparently so. I know it seems farfetched but it’s better than Arkham right?”  
“So where exactly is Jerome?”  
“Out making headlines, he’s already picked out a room for the both of you. There’s fresh clothes in the wardrobe and a bathroom at the end of the hall where you can freshen up.”

Barbara wrapped an arm around me and pulled me into her so I was resting my head against her shoulder as she resumed stroking my hair.   
“Don’t worry he’ll be back soon, besides I’m here to look after you,” she said softly.  
“And how exactly are you going to look after me?” I asked, already having a few ideas.  
Barbara leaned forward and kissed me tenderly at first but slowly began to become bolder as our tongues came into contact. Her smile grew and she placed her hands on my hips. I nipped at her bottom lip, which only encouraged her as she began kissing my neck. I smiled to myself. I wasn’t picky when it came to my partners, as long as I liked them and they were human I didn’t see a problem with what gender I picked for a partner. I tangled my fingers in Barbara’s curls and gently tugged. She kissed her way back up to my lips but stopped as someone cleared their throat. 

We turned to face Jerome who grinned and took a seat, watching us intently.   
“Well don’t stop because of me. I love a good show,” he chuckled.  
Barbara gave me one last kiss before heading over to the door.   
“She came onto me ginger. Maybe you’re not good enough,” Barbara smirked.  
“We’ll see about that Barbie.”  
Barbara left the room and Jerome cocked his head, motioning me to sit on his lap. I got out of my seat and climbed on to his lap.  
“So I can’t leave you too alone now huh?” Jerome asked.  
I shrugged, smiling to myself.   
“So where exactly have you been?” I asked.  
“Mr boss man sent me out with Greenwood and the others for a very important task. You should see it in the morning papers.”

I raised an eyebrow, “and where are the others? I thought Sionis would be trailing after Barbara like a lost puppy.”  
“He’s dead. Didn’t want to lend a hand so Mr boss man got rid of him.”  
“Oh. Shame, he was kinda nice. But could you please tell me who this guy is, Barbara mentioned him but nobody’s really telling me anything.”  
As if on cue a tall, well dressed male entered the room with the most prominent chin I had ever seen. He smiled and held out his hand to me. I accepted, shaking his hand.   
“Theo Galavan. Nice to see your awake, I apologise for the knockout gas but I had to make the breakout seem believable,” the man explained. 

“And you’re doing this because?” I asked, not too sure how I felt about this guy, his chin was too villainous.  
“We’re going to show Gotham that they were wrong about the lot of you. That you all have potential to do great things.”  
“What kind of great things?”   
“Well I hear you’re quite the arsonist, setting fire to your childhood home. Murdering your best friend. You were quite the topic in the papers for a good year.”  
“And your point is? You're good at avoiding questions Mr Galavan.”  
He smiled, “please call me Theo. You're good at what you do Emerald. Like Barbara you have power, beauty and desire. All of those can be quite dangerous.”

I shrugged, I guess he was right about that. Nice to see someone was picking up on it.   
“So when do I get to go out and wreak havoc? It’s not fair letting the boys have all the fun,” I said matter of factly.  
“Your time is coming I promise. But for now feel free to relax. My home is your home.”  
Theo left the room, leaving Jerome and I alone. I turned back to Jerome and raised an eyebrow.   
“I don’t like him. There’s something funny about him,” I explained.  
“Well yeah, he must be crazy to break out a bunch of freaks like us.”  
“Still, I’m not exactly thrilled you got to have all the fun.”  
“Aw don’t be like that doll face.”  
“I want to go dancing.”

Jerome considered this for a few seconds before nodding, “then we’ll go dancing. But you gotta shower first, I could do with one too.”  
I grinned and pressed my forehead against his.   
“You think this guy has a shower big enough for sharing?” I asked.  
“Well you should see the bed I picked out for us gorgeous.”  
I climbed off Jerome’s lap and too his hand in mine before leading him to the bathroom. The shower was definitely big enough for two. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After a very long shower I explored the bedroom that Jerome had picked out for us. I opened the wardrobe and looked through the clothes provided. I picked out a short dress, the top half black and lacy with long sleeves and the skirt red and high waisted. I changed, dried my hair, put some makeup on and picked out some black heels. Jerome sat on the end of the bed wearing a purple shirt and jeans, watching me intently.  
“You like what you see daddy?” I asked.   
“I’m thinking of not taking you dancing when you’re looking like that. Maybe we’ll go straight to the after party.”

I grinned and leaned forward to kiss him, my lips ghosting over his teasingly. I pulled away before Jerome could pull me in for a proper kiss.  
“You already had a party with me in the shower. You can have another party after you take me dancing.”  
“And you’re the one calling the shots now?”   
“You heard it from the boss apparently I radiate power. Now let’s go.”  
“Go pick out a car, you’re driving.”  
I skipped off down the hallway, heels in hand. I waved goodbye to Barbara as I passed her in the hallway and got in to the elevator. Jerome caught up with me before the doors could close. He was now wearing a large grey coat. He laced his fingers with mine. 

We got out on the bottom floor which was Theo’s garage. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind us borrowing a car for a few hours. He was the one who said his house was ours after all. I chose the red Sicon FR-S sports coupe. Yeah there were a bunch of fancier super cars but if we got into trouble tonight, I wanted something that would blend in a little better than a Ferrari. We got in the car and left. Jerome rested his hand on my bare knee, slowly inching up my thigh. 

The journey didn’t take long, being in the centre of Gotham and all. I parked a few streets away just in case the cops were called which was likely. I’m sure we we're all wanted back in Arkham. Gotta keep the streets safe. Jerome linked his arm with mine and led me round the back of the nightclub, the easier way to get in without any hassle. The club was alive with people dancing, drinking and shouting to be heard over the music. I smiled and kissed Jerome’s cheek. 

I headed straight for the centre of the dance floor, Jerome sticking to the more shadowy areas. He didn’t dance. It was fine, he could watch. I closed my eyes, swaying to the beat. I let my body take control of its movements, becoming lost to the music. I continued dancing as the song changed to one I knew. Restless by UNKLE. I smiled to myself, feeling Jerome’s eyes on me the whole time. I found him leant against the far wall, still sticking to the darker areas only now he had a drink in hand. 

I continued to dance, keeping eye contact with him. I made a come hither motion with my finger but he shook his head, grinning. I could feel another set of eyes on me and then suddenly a pair of hands on my hips. I rolled my eyes and turned to face whoever was behind me. I shoved the guy away, glaring at him hoping he would back off. The asshole didn’t however. What is it with guys and not understanding no? The song crossfaded to Why’d You Bring a Shotgun to the Party by the Pretty Reckless. Strange change in music. Oh well. 

I saw Jerome approach us, opening his coat and producing a shotgun of his own. Well that was convenient. Jerome aimed the barrel of the gun at the asshole who thought it was acceptable to touch someone else’s girl. The guy took a step back, his hands up in surrender. Jerome pulled the trigger, the shot loud enough to be heard over the music. I laughed as the guy fell to the floor, a spray of his blood on my face. 

The few people around us dispersed like ants, running and screaming which soon alerted the rest of the nightclub.   
“I wanna turn,” I shouted over the music.   
Jerome handed me the gun and I aimed at a female that wasn’t quite as fast as the others. Learn to run in heels honey. I fired, getting her in the back. She collapsed to the floor dead on impact. I grinned. A few of the civilians hadn’t moved and were frozen in fear or hiding. Nice, hostages. That would make escaping from the cops easier. 

Time would be limited now, I’m sure someone had called the cops by now. We better work fast. Jerome and I rounded up the small handful of hostages. Seven in total. I had them stand in a row after handing over any valuables. Guys handed over cash while girls handed over jewellery. I put most of the bracelets and necklaces on.  
“Look at all the pretties daddy,” I beamed.   
“Only the best for my queen,” he kissed my cheek, “now then which one do you think should go next?”   
I looked at each person, studying them carefully before beginning and game of eeny meeny miney mo. 

It landed on some guy shaking with fear. He began begging and pleading, not that it would do anything. Jerome silenced him, getting a spray of blood on his face. Jerome pulled me into a hard kiss, his tongue in my mouth. I made a sound of contentment, pressing my body into his. I tangled my fingers in his hair, tugging a little earning a soft growl from him. His free hand trailed down my body, pushing itself between my legs. I moaned into his mouth, arching into his touch.   
“When we get home I think I’m gonna have you ride me princess,” he murmured against my lips.  
I grinned, “is that so?”  
“Mhm, I just can’t stop thinking about how good your gonna look on my cock.”

I giggled and kissed him once more before turning back to the hostages. Jerome handed me the shotgun and I shot one more hostage. Jerome took a step forward, daring the hostages to make eye contact with him. They all continued looking at their shoes, shaking.   
“Any of you got a phone we could borrow?” He asked.  
They all began shoving phones in his direction in the hopes of having their lives spared. Jerome grabbed one at random and stepped back over to me. 

I frowned as he put his arm around me and held the phone up.   
“We’re taking selfies now?” I asked.  
“No harm in taking pictures on our night out. Maybe I’ll take a few pictures of you later.”  
I giggled and got into the shot, grinning and holding the shotgun to my side as Jerome took the picture. He tossed the phone back at the person who it belonged too and took my hand in his.   
“I suppose we better get going gorgeous but I’m sure you can maybe give me a little private dance at home.”  
“Or maybe you could give me one.”

Jerome chuckled and ushered me over to the back where we had come in. Once outside we both ran for it back to the car, using alleyways to reach it if necessary. We got into the car, sirens blaring and a squad of cars whizzed past us. Once they had all passed I started the car and drove us back to Galvan’s place. Thankfully we didn’t get into any unwanted car chases. I parked the car in its original position and put the keys back on their hook. We took the lift back up to the tenth floor and stepped out. The penthouse was quiet, meaning everyone must be in bed. Good. Jerome practically dragged me down the hall and into our bedroom, slamming the door shut behind him.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made a playlist based on the first half of this fan fic, i'll probably do another one for the second half soon :)   
> https://8tracks.com/kelseycurtis/nothing-more-contagious-than-laughter

Chapter 14

Jerome’s P.O.V

I slammed Emerald against the wall, causing a loud thud as I kissed her hard. If the others were asleep I couldn’t care less about how much noise, we made right now. I had to have her. I dug in my pocket blindly, my hand closing around my switch blade. Emeralds hand groped me through my jeans, forcing a groan from me. I pulled out my blade and cut open Emeralds dress. She tutted at the action but didn’t make much of a fuss. Instead she took the reins and pushed me against a chest of drawers.

The chest bumped against the wall and the impact of her pushing me against it made the vase that had rested on it shatter on the floor, flowers and water staining the carpet. Oh well. She tore open my shirt, her lips and teeth on my chest. She continued her descent, opening my jeans. I grinned as she pulled my jeans and boxers down around my ankles before taking me in her mouth. My fingers tangled in her hair, guiding her head back and forth.   
“That's a good girl sucking daddy's cock,” I groaned.

Emerald looked up at me, happy for the praise. I let out a shaky breath as she hollowed her cheeks and swirled her tongue around the tip. Her red lipstick was smeared, a little round the base of my cock. I forced her head down further, getting her to take more. Her eyes began to water and she gagged a little. I pulled her off and helped her up, my lips on hers. I picked her up, shoving her against the curtain as she wrapped her limbs around me. 

I couldn’t get enough of the taste of her lips, my hands on her hips told hold her up as well as using the wall for leverage. Emerald’s fingers were tangled in my hair, her nails dragging against my scalp. I wasted no more time, pulling the material of her panties to the side and forcing myself inside of her, both of us letting out loud moans at the contact. Emerald clung to me tighter as I began a fast, hard pace. 

Still glued to each other’s lips she let various moans and groans slip past her lips. One of her hands reached up, gripped the material of the curtain. I gripped her hips, pulling them down to meet me each thrust. The curtain gave and fell into a pool of material on the floor at my feet. Whoops. Oh well, I’m sure Galavan could afford some new ones…and a new vase too. Maybe at this rate he might want to buy a new bed once I was done with her. 

I stilled my movements and moved us over to the bed, both of us falling back onto the mattress. Emerald rolled us over and pinned me down. She barely brushed her lips against mine before they continued to ghost over my neck. Such a naughty little tease. I slapped her rear and she yelped in surprise. As if she got the message to hurry up, she started her own pace, placing her hands on my shoulders to steady herself. 

My hands went back to her hips, lifting her up and down a little as she bounced on my cock. Emerald threw her head back in pure pleasure, her blonde hair cascading down her back. I reached round and unclasped her bra, my hands covering her breasts. She rolled her hips against mine, sending me into a frenzy. My head fell back against the pillow and I let out a loud groan as she continued to work me to my climax. 

I had no control over my bodies movements anymore, my hips bucking and meeting her each time. Emeralds pace became more erratic as she began to get closer to her own climax. She was getting tighter, forcing louder groans from me. I matched her pace and she soon finished, all but screaming my name. Her orgasm triggered my own, my nails digging into the soft flesh of her hips and I moaned her name. She lay down on top of me, exhausted. I smiled and wrapped my arms around her, kissing her temple. 

Once she'd regained enough energy she rolled off of me and o to her side of the bed. The covers were tossed around, a few pillows on the floor. Emerald took in the damages of the room and giggled. She rolled onto her side, facing away from me. I shifted closer, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her against me. It didn't take me long to fall asleep.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I awoke to find Emerald still asleep. I really must have tired her out last night. I smiled to myself and got out of bed quietly so I didn't wake her. I put on a red dressing gown and headed into the dining room where the guys were sat at the table eating breakfast, which consisted of doughnuts. I whistled to myself, a cocky grin on my face and sat at the head of the table. Greenwood glared at me, clearly still tired.  
“Morning simpletons. Sleep well?” I asked.  
“With the live porn show next door? No.” Greenwood said matter of factly.

I chuckled and poured myself some coffee, “sorry about that. I must have been doing a really good job.”   
Emerald entered the room wearing the shortest skirt she could get away with and a top that showed off plenty of cleavage. I noticed the way Greenwood looked at her and threw a slice of toast at him, hitting him in the head.   
“Greenwood how many times do I have to tell you to stop looking at something that belongs to me?” I snapped.  
Emerald giggled and sat on my lap, wrapping her arms around my neck.  
“It’s ok daddy you know I only have eyes for you,” She said, kissing my cheek.  
“It’s not you I’m worried about doll face.”

Emerald produced a lollipop, strawberry flavour and pulled off the wrapper. She stuck the sucker in her mouth before offering it to me. I kept eye contact with her as I took it in my mouth, sucking on it for a little while before releasing it. She grinned and put it back in her own mouth. Barbara and Tabitha entered the room, Barbara giggling at something Tabitha had said. It was no secret that they were together anymore, not with the way Barbara was around her.

Barbara sat down, grabbing some toast and covering it in jam.   
“Tabitha was gonna sneak me out for a shopping trip, you wanna come?” She asked Emerald.  
“Sure. I’m sure I won’t be allowed out with the boys today anyway.”  
The three of them went off together to prepare for their shopping trip. I could see how bored Emerald was on the days where she was left alone. I agreed with her it wasn’t fair that she hadn’t been given a job yet. I’d have to talk to the man in charge about it. 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After a lovely day of terrorizing a school bus full of cheerleaders and fending off the GCPD we returned home. Well at least three of us did. Dobkins had got himself killed. Shame it wasn’t Greenwood. I entered the bedroom and frowned. Emerald still wasn’t home but there were a bunch of shopping bags dumped on her side of the room. So she’d come back and gone back out? Without me. Or without letting me know where she’d gone. I changed out of Arkham whites and into jeans a clean shirt. I patted my pockets, finding my switchblade and left the bedroom. 

I found Tabitha sharpening knives by the fire. She glanced at me and smiled, “you looking for your girlfriend?”   
“Yeah. Shouldn’t you be looking for yours?”  
“Oh I know where mine is, she’s out with yours.”  
“Where?”   
“A little club called Celestial Gardens.”  
Now that I had the information I needed I left her to her knives and took a car to this club. I parked a few streets away and walked the rest of the way. Strangely I was allowed to skip the queue by the bouncer as he let me straight in. 

I shrugged and headed inside, ignoring the music and crowd. I scanned them for any sign of Barbara and Emerald. I found Barbara at the bar and went straight over to her. She was alone, sipping a cocktail. She turned and smiled.  
“Hey ginger, want me to buy you a drink?” She asked.  
“Where is she?” I snapped.   
“Relax, she’s making friends.”  
Barbara nodded over to a dark secluded booth where I found Emerald sat far too close to some guy. She was laughing, his hand on her bare thigh. 

I felt my fists clench in pure rage. Nobody else was allowed to fucking touch her. She was mine and it seemed she needed a fucking reminder of that. She wanted to act like a whore then I’d treat her like one. I stormed over to them, shoving a few people out of my way. I reached the table and Emeralds face fell. She shifted away from the guy as if she wasn’t doing anything wrong. I grinned, how pathetic. I could see how afraid she was, the guy on the other hand looked confused.   
“Fancy seeing you here doll face,” I spoke.

Emerald was visibly shaken, which only caused my smile to grow. She had no idea what kind of trouble she was in. The guy was talking now, not that I was paying attention to what he was saying.   
“You wanna see a magic trick princess?” I asked.  
She shook her head, her eyes wide with fear. I tutted and the guy had gotten to his feet, coming over to me. I pulled the switchblade out and quickly stabbed him in the neck. His body fell to the floor and put the knife back in my pocket.   
“I always was good at making people disappear,” I said, “Home. Now.”

Emerald got to her feet and followed me out of the nightclub to the car. I backed her against the side of the car, trapping her between me and the metal. Her eyes were glued to the floor, refusing to make eye contact with me. I slammed my fist against the side of the car, near her head and that got her attention. The deer in the headlights look definitely suited her.   
“I-I’m sorry,” she spoke.   
I slapped her hard, making her whimper and tears flow down her cheeks. I caressed her cheek to soothe the sting, hushing her. 

“You’re not sorry. But you will be. If you're gonna act like a whore, then I’m gonna have to treat you like one. Now get in the car.”  
She did as she was told and I drove us home, speeding through a few red lights. I was never good at staying calm. When I was angry I couldn’t hide it. And this time she had crossed the line. I parked the car and forced her out of the car, grabbing a fistful of her hair and dragging her upstairs. I opened the door to our room and threw her on the floor. I closed the door behind me and locked it. 

“Now you wanna explain what the fuck you were doing?” I hissed.  
“We were just talking.”  
“That’s why he had his hands on you? And that you let him touch you? If you wanted to fuck him just say so.”  
“I didn’t! I would never do that to you!”  
“Don’t try and pin this on me, you’re the one in the wrong. You were the one flirting and letting another man touch you. I also recall remaining pretty calm when I found you making out with Barbara. You’ve gone too far. Bad girls need to be punished.”


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Emerald’s P.O.V

Jerome grabbed me by my arms and pulled me to my feet. I wanted to pull away, to run and hide but I knew I would only get in to more trouble. I had never seen this side of him before, I had no idea he could hurt me so much. His grip was tight around my wrists, his nails digging in to the skin.   
“You’re hurting me,” I squeaked.  
He laughed, “I haven’t even started yet. Shame I can’t mark your face that could get people talking.”  
Jerome loosened his grip on my wrists before letting my arms drop to their sides. He took a step back and cocked his head to the side, looking as if he were in deep thought on what to do with me.

“Strip,” he ordered.  
With shaky hands I removed my dress and my underwear. I avoided his gaze and covered myself with my hands, feeling vulnerable. Jerome pulled my arms down to their sides and kissed me softly. That tenderness was short lived as he shoved me down on to the bed face first. I attempted to prop myself up on all fours but he forced my head back down into the mattress. I had to take it, that way he couldn’t get angrier with me. 

His hand came down on my rear as a harsh slap and I yelped, jolting away from him. He tutted and pulled me back into place, delivering another slap to my rear. I bit my lip, gripping the sheets beneath me forcing myself not to cry. Jerome sighed and I heard him fumble with his belt, pulling it from the loops of his jeans. My eyes widened and I attempted to protest but he wasn’t having any of it and brought the belt down hard. I cried out in pain, tears rolling down my cheeks. 

He continued using his belt on me until my knees failed and I sagged into the mattress, exhausted and in pain.   
“I thought you were going to last longer than that. You're pathetic. One things for sure though, it sure is gonna hurt when you sit down next,” he laughed to himself.   
Jerome rolled me over and wiped away my tears, shushing me in an almost soothing manner. His hand moved down to my neck, cutting off my air supply. My eyes went wide and I felt myself panicking. I tried to pry him off me but his grip was vice like. 

“Are you sorry now?” He asked.  
I nodded the best I could and he loosened his grip a little.   
“You gonna be a good girl now?”   
I nodded again and he kissed me, his hand still around my neck. He finally took his hand away, allowing me to breathe as he undressed himself.   
“You're mine. Do you understand? Every inch of you is mine to do what I please with,” he explained, his hands on me again, squeezing various parts of my body until he reached his target between my legs, “this is definitely mine, anyone else touches this…you don’t want to know what I’d do to them.”

I moved my hand up to cup his cheek as reassurance but he pinned my wrists down either side of my head in yet another painful grip.   
“I never gave you permission to touch me and I don’t think I’m going to give you permission to cum tonight either.”  
I let out a small whine, which changed into a moan as he pushed his way inside me. Jerome leaned down kissing and biting my neck, sucking hard either side to leave huge purple and red bruises. Marks that said I was his. 

He began a punishing pace, focusing on his own pleasure instead of my own. I guess I did deserve all this; it was my own fault for flirting with another man. I had brought this all on myself. I had probably made him feel awful about himself hence why he was lashing out like this. I closed my eyes focusing on the pleasure. His hands wrapped around my neck once more, thankfully this time it wasn’t enough so I struggled to breathe. Just enough to make me a little light headed. 

The sound of skin on skin, Jerome’s heavy breathing and my feeble attempts at moans filled the room. He leaned down and left more bruises across my chest and stomach with his mouth. I tangled my fingers in his dishevelled hair and pulled him up to my lips so I could kiss him. He smiled into the kiss, nipping at my bottom lip, hard enough to draw blood. His grip gradually become tighter, almost completely cutting off my air supply as he finished with a loud curse. 

He rolled off of me, now seeming as if everything was normally. I whined and rolled over, resting my chin on his chest. He paid me no attention so I climbed on top of him, forcing him to look at me.   
“I told you, you’re not allowed to cum tonight,” he spoke.   
“But-“  
“No buts, you fucked up, this is your punishment. If you ask me again, I’ll make it worse.”  
“But daddy-“  
He sat up, grabbing a fistful of my hair and pulling back hard so that it hurt. I let out a small yelp, willing myself not to cry again.  
“What the fuck did I just say? I know you’re a whore Emerald but I didn’t think you were a dumb whore.”

He let go of my hair and shoved me off of him. I made a small sound but climbed under the bed covers, taking a deep breath and attempting to ignore the heat between my legs. I’m sure if it touched myself I would only get into more trouble. Jerome got into bed, his back to me and he was soon asleep. I sighed and finally let myself cry, silent sobs until I eventually fell asleep.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I awoke to a dull buzzing and a blissful feeling between my legs. I let out a soft moan of his name, my eyes fluttering open. Instead of finding Jerome anywhere near me I found him sat in the corner chair, holding something small and black. The buzzing got more intense and I let out a louder moan, my hips bucking in to the feeling. I glanced down at myself finding lacy panties around my hips that hadn’t been there the night before. Now I understood, there was a small vibrator in my panties and Jerome had the remote. Please let me cum. 

The pleasure increased, the heat between my legs growing with each second. I bit my lip, gripping the sheets as I felt my long awaited climax approach. With that Jerome turned the vibrator off and I let out a loud groan of frustration. I sat up and rubbed my eyes. I made my way over to him, getting on my knees and resting my head in his lap. He smiled and stroked my hair.  
“You gonna be a good girl today?” He asked.  
I nodded, desperate to please him for two reasons, one I didn’t want to make him angry with me again and two I really needed to cum. 

“Good thing I’ve got the day off to make sure you stay true to your word,” he spoke.   
He allowed me to change in to clean clothes and we headed to the dining room for breakfast. Jerome sat down next to me, his hand on my bare knee before he slow began to push my skirt up a little. I almost choked on my coffee and pretended everything was fine as the others gave me concerned looks. Theo Galavan came and sat down with us, regarding everyone with a polite ‘good morning’. 

Jerome turned on the vibrator again using the remote, leaving it on the lowest setting. I bit my lip and crossed my legs, holding back a whine. I gripped the side of my coffee mug hard, using all the will I had to stop my hips bucking in to the vibrations. I just needed some more and then I would be finished. I let out a breath I hadn’t realised I’d been holding and attempted to calm myself. I couldn’t even focus on what Galavan was saying I just hope it didn’t involve or was directed at me. Jerome remained indifferent however, taking a bite out of his toast and listening to Galavan.

The vibrations suddenly got more intense and I let out a small squeak, again getting the unwanted attention of the table.   
“Is everything alright Emerald?” Theo asked.  
“Mhm, everything’s fine,” I spoke, attempting to sound as normal as possible.   
I got to my feet and excused myself, the vibrations not stopping. I headed out in to the hallway and leant against the wall, taking a deep breath. I heard footsteps and opened my eyes to find Greenwood. I raised an eyebrow, why the hell was he out here? 

“Why do you still hang around with him?” He asked.  
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I ignored the vibrations, feeling a slow burning rage ignite in my chest.   
“You know what I mean, after the way he treated you last night. You really think he cares about you, if he did he wouldn’t hurt you.”  
I didn’t need to hear this, he didn’t understand my relationship with Jerome. I went to push past him but he grabbed my wrist hard, stopping me from escaping. It was at this point the vibrations had completely stopped and I could now think straight. 

“Get your fucking hands off me!” I spat.   
“Why? I thought you liked being treated badly.”  
“I have a thing for clowns, not cannibals and you think you treat women any better? You eat them.”  
I tore away from him, holding back from knocking him on his ass. I’m sure Galavan wouldn’t appreciate me beating the shit out of him. Or getting blood on the fucking floor.  
“My relationship is my fucking business. People can think what they want. Love is shown in many forms but you wouldn’t understand that!” I spat.   
I heard a soft chuckle from behind me and his hands on my shoulders. I relaxed in to Jerome’s touch, letting him calm me before I did anything rash. 

Jerome kissed my cheek, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me back flush against him in a possessive manner.   
“This fucker had the audacity to touch me,” I said matter of factly.   
“I know. He’ll get what’s coming to him soon enough, I promise princess.”  
“He better or he might take a trip off the top floor,” I grinned.   
Greenwood rolled his eyes and headed down the hall. Jerome spun me round to face him and kissed me softly.   
“I think it’s time I let you cum don’t you?” He asked.

“If you think I’ve been good enough daddy,” I replied, batting my eyelashes.  
“I think you just proved that.”  
Jerome took my hand and led me into the living room which also doubled as Galavan’s office. The room was empty and Jerome closed the doors behind us. He led me over to Galavan’s desk and picked me up, placing me down on the cool wood.   
“Lie back for me gorgeous,” Jerome spoke.  
I did as I was told and bit my lip as he kneeled before me, spreading my legs. He lifted up my skirt and placed a soft kiss on my inner thigh.

Jerome pulled off my panties and chuckled, “soaked panties for daddy? You shouldn’t have,” he inhaled my scent and then put my panties in his pocket.   
He then placed kisses on my thighs before reaching his target, licking a long strip up my sex. I moaned, my fingers in his hair leading him to the place I needed him the most. I knew I wasn’t going to last long but at this point I didn’t care I just needed to cum. He sucked and licked at my clit, holding my thighs down and apart as I writhed on the desk. 

I let out a loud moan and Jerome stopped, poking his head back up and putting his finger to his lips. He then resumed his actions and I attempted to hold back the loud moans that were building in my throat. I failed and he stopped once more.  
“Will you keep your fucking voice down?” He snapped.  
I gave him an apologetic look and he went back down. I used my free hand to cover my mouth which muffled my moans and whimpers. Jerome slipped two fingers in to my heat and my eyes shut tight as I stopped myself from shouting his name. 

He started a fast pace, curling his fingers against my sweet spot. I could now feel my long awaited orgasm fast approaching and I welcomed it. My grip on his hair got tighter and he groaned against me. I finally came, all but screaming his name as my hips bucked into his face. He worked me through my orgasm before standing back up, licking his lips and sucking his fingers clean. Jerome kissed me hard, his tongue in my mouth so I could taste myself. I guess we weren’t done quite yet.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry its short, im kinda broken after todays episode of The Walking Dead

Chapter 16

Jerome’s P.O.V

I entered Galavan’s penthouse, finding Emerald on the couch clearly bored. She looked up and frowned. I probably should have cleaned myself up beforehand. She forced me to sit down on the couch before grabbing some tissues and dabbing at my nose.   
“And how did you get this?” She asked.  
“Their dead now so does it really matter.”  
“Well I’m glad they look worse than you.”

She cleaned up the blood and then kissed the tip of my nose. She went over to the trash can, throwing away the bloody tissues and then looked me up and down, smiling to herself. Oh so she liked a little costume play. Goodie. Emerald sat herself on my lap and kissed me.  
“I think I’ve been a very bad girl officer,” she said.  
“Is that so?”  
“Mhm. Wanna read me my rights?”  
“You have the right to remain silent.”

Emerald giggled and kissed me hard, her tongue in my mouth. I tangled my fingers in her hair, my other hand on her hip. Someone cleared their throat behind us and we broke the kiss reluctantly. Galavan. What did he want? I just finished one job, I wanted some more alone time with Emerald first before anything else.   
“Would you two mind taking that in to your room, I’m having important guests later and don’t want odd stains on my couch,” he said matter of factly.

Emerald grumbled something under her breath before getting off my lap. Emerald grabbed my hand and began tugging me out of the lounge. We were stopped once more by Galavan.   
“Where’s Greenwood?” He asked me.  
“Shot him and left him at the GCPD, figured you wouldn't want him running his mouth so I made sure it was to the head,” I explained.  
Galavan nodded and let Emerald and I go. Emerald was now grinning ear to ear at the news of Greenwoods fate. What could I say? He had it coming. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tonight Gotham was having a charity ball for some kid’s hospital or something, not that I cared. I was ready and waiting to go, wearing a tux. The top hat and fake beard would come later. Emerald was taking her time. Tonight the plan was to get rid of the magician, take his place with Barbara as my assistant (I know Emerald was going to kick up a fuss when she found out but it wasn't my idea) and wreak havoc. Finally, Emerald came into the lounge wearing a long, red dress with a slit up the leg. Wow. She grinned when she saw my reaction and came over to me.

She kissed me and adjusted my bow tie. I took her hands in mine, this strange feeling in my chest. I smiled and held her close, a small surprised sound escaping her.   
“Maybe I should dress like this more often if it gets this reaction from you,” she spoke.  
“I... oh you know already,” I sighed, struggling to find the words.  
Emerald looked confused and shook her head, “no I don't.”  
“You’re really gonna make me say it out loud?”  
The confusion on her face remained. I sighed, fine.  
“I love you,” I mumbled.

“Aww see, Ginger does have a heart after all,” came Barbara’s voice.  
She and Galavan were both fully dressed and waiting for us. I glared at her, feeling like an idiot. For as long as I lived she wasn't going to let that go. Emerald took in Barbara’s outfit and frowned.  
“Why is she his assistant and not me?” She growled at Galavan.  
He raised his hands in a surrender motion, “relax. You have a very important role tonight so I need you to focus. Your very good at dealing with people Emerald so when Jerome reveals himself I need you to keep them in line, understood?”  
“Crowd control. My job is crowd control?” Emeralds tone getting angrier.  
“But with that you can do whatever you like. Rob them, kill them, just keep as many in there as you can. Make sure our special guest is there, I’m sure your aware of Bruce Wayne.”

Emerald shrugged, “what about him?”  
“He stays in that room and he stays alive, is that understood by all of you?”  
We nodded and agreed. I placed my hands on Emeralds shoulders to calm her. She turned her attention back to me and forced a smile.  
“It’s ok doll, I’m sure when we get back later tonight I can try a little magic trick on you. Maybe make something of mine disappear?” I grinned.  
Emerald laughed but nodded. I took her hand in mine and kissed it, before we linked arms and left the penthouse. 

We took separate vehicles to the gala, Barbara and I getting a hold of the magician out the back and shoving him in his own trunk before getting ready. Disguises were put in place, now we just had to wait for our que. The room fell silent and we were finally introduced, the curtains opening to reveal us. I spotted Emerald sat in a corner, downing a glass of wine. I proceeded to perform a few simple tricks, making a rose appear out of a cloth as well as a dove. I guess the circus life was coming in handy now. Now for a more fun trick. One that needed a volunteer. 

I scanned the crowd, my eyes falling on Bruce who was stood with his old man butler. Barbara fetched him for me and helped him in the box where I then proceed to saw him in half. Shame I couldn’t actually do it, what a show that would be. And now for the main event, this one was going to be a really show stopper. The waiters had been hired by Galavan and produced their own guns, making the crowd go in to a panic. They ran like rats, desperate to escape. Emerald climbed on the centre table, crushing glasses under her shoes as she fired a shot in the ceiling. 

“Any of you mother fuckers move an inch and you can kiss your ass goodbye,” she screeched.   
The guests were rounded up and made to sit back at their tables. Emerald climbed down and brought over a female in a long black dress. Barbara and Emerald seemed to recognise the female. They attached her to the spinning wheel, maybe I’d practice my knife throwing skills. I spotted a camera guy, trying to stop the bleeding of his reporter friend. Well now that gave me an idea.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry that this took me forever to write.

Chapter 17

Emerald’s P.O.V

Barbara and I stood in front of Doctor Thompkins, I had no idea she’d tried to treat Barbara as well.  
“Looks like she isn’t much of a good doctor after all,” I giggled.  
“Two patients and nowhere to go. When’s Jim coming? I really have missed him,” Barbara spoke.  
We both laughed and spun the wheel, watching as Lee went round and round. I left Barbara too it, she had more of grudge with her than I did. Jerome had gotten the attention of a camera crew, making sure they filmed everything in order to survive. I placed my hands on his shoulders and kissed his cheek from behind. 

Jerome had taken off his disguise a while ago now, the crowd clearly terrified. I had no idea where Galavan or Tabitha were though. Oh well. I heard a buzzing coming from a handbag and Barbara fished out Lee’s phone, throwing it at Jerome who caught it. He checked the caller I.D and grinned.  
“Hey detective, how’s things?” He asked, a grin on his face, “oh well that’s just rude and you don’t want to be rude to the guy that’s holding your girlfriend hostage…what do I want? Hmmmm, a million dollars, a get out of jail free card and a pony.”  
Jerome hung up and turned to us, “I think that went well. Now shall we have a little more fun. These guys came to see a magician after all.”

He turned to face the crowd and picked an older guy with a curly moustache. Jerome made him balance an apple on his head and handed me a gun, his hands on mine as we raised it to the man’s head.  
“A little shooting practice for you doll face,” he said.   
“But what if I miss?” I spoke in a mockingly worried tone.   
“Then his brains are gonna go all over the floor. Not to worry though, we have many more willing participants to practice on.”  
Jerome positioned my hands correctly and we thumbed the safety off. I began to squeeze the trigger when he covered my eyes, laughing as he did. I continued to squeeze the trigger, but no bang could be heard. Hmmm. Jerome removed his hands only to reveal it was a dummy gun that only fired water. 

That’s when Galavan got to his feet, making some rousing speech about how Jerome should stop and how he was a vile human being. Well that’s just rude, I made eye contact with Barbara and nodded. She grinned and picked up a mallet, delivering a blow to the back of Galavan’s head and knocking him out. We all knew this was part of the plan to make Galavan seem like a hero but we could have our own fun with that. I scanned the crowd, looking for some more entertainment. Where on earth was little Bruce Wayne? 

Jerome began calling for him on the microphone. Still nothing. I sighed, how boring. Good thing I knew how to spice things up. I took a real gun from Jerome and pointed it at Bruce’s butler, taking off the safety.   
“If you don’t come on out Brucie, Emerald here is gonna blow your butlers brains all over these lovely people,” Jerome continued to taunt.   
With that Bruce came out from behind a curtain and headed over to his butler, both of them exchanging a few words before Bruce was brought over to Jerome and I. I lowered the gun but kept the safety off.   
“You were such a good volunteer before, you think you’re up for another magic trick like oh I don’t know…making yourself disappear,” Jerome laughed, holding a knife to his throat. 

That’s when an unwanted guest came out from behind the same red curtain Bruce had. Jim fucking Gordon, pointing a gun at Jerome. I rolled my eyes and pointed my gun at him, firing a warning shot at the floor by his feet.   
“Back the fuck off. Your one man, you can’t do shit,” I hissed.  
As if things couldn’t get worse Galavan got back to his feet and wrestled with the knife Jerome was holding. Bruce ran, getting as far away from the fight as he could. That’s when Jerome’s knife ended up in his own neck, Theo pushing him to the ground. I screamed, turning and aiming the gun at Galavan. So this had been his plan all along? I should have trusted my instinct. I fired a shot, which got him in the shoulder. 

I ran to Jerome and took his hands in mine, fighting back tears. I cupped his cheek, leaning down to kiss him.  
“Stay with me Jerome, you have to stay with me ok. I c-can’t lose you again,” I sobbed.  
I had lost him once and look how that had left me, I couldn’t lose him again, not for good. His body went limp and I let out a cry, clutching his body to mine. Blood covered my dress not that I cared. I felt a hand on my shoulder and Barbara trying to pull me to my feet.   
“Emerald we have to go now,” she hissed.  
“I’m not leaving him. I can’t.”  
“We have to.”

She managed to tear me away from him and dragged me quickly out of the building before we were caught by cops. She got me in to a car and began to drive. We couldn’t go back to Galavan’s penthouse, he probably wanted to kill me as well. Not if I killed that fucker first however. I was shaking violently as I continued to sob loudly. I had lost him again and there was nothing I could do to ever get him back now. Barbara parked the car and helped me out, keeping his arm around me.   
“We’re going to pack some things for you and then you’re going to run as far as you can away from here ok?” She spoke.   
I shook my head; I wasn’t going anywhere. I was going to wait for that fucker to come back so I could kill him. 

“Emerald you can’t stay here-“ Barbara began.  
“I have nowhere else to go.”  
As we got to the main floor of Galavan’s penthouse Barbara sat me down on the bed and began throwing various clothes in to a bag for me. I noticed I was still holding the gun in my hand. One bullet that’s all it would take. I didn’t want to live in a world without him, he was my world. I raised the gun to my head and pulled the trigger, the gun clicking but that was all. I let out a sound of frustration and tried again, still nothing. No fucking bullets, I couldn’t even fucking kill myself because that fucker had taken the last bullet. 

Barbara stopped shoving clothes in the bag and slowly took the gun from me. She sat down next to me and pulled me in to her arms, letting me cry. That moment was short lived however as she began ushering me to change before dragging me out of the bedroom and back down to the garage. She handed me the bag and kissed my cheek.   
“You’re not staying here are you?” I asked.   
“I…Tabitha.”  
I nodded, understanding. She wanted to but she couldn’t leave Tabitha behind. We hugged once more before I left the penthouse and stood in the cold street. I wrapped my arms around myself, it didn’t matter how many layers she had made me wear, I was still cold. I guess I was homeless now. Homeless and alone.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To make up for my absence you get two chapters today :)

Chapter 18

Emerald’s P.O.V

I sat in a cold ally, shivering as it continued to rain. I needed to find some kind of place to stay and quickly. I had sold some of my clothes already so that I didn’t go hungry. I had a few close calls with cops but thankfully they hadn’t noticed me. Although any fancy looking black car that pulled up across the street sent me in to a panic, making me think it was Galavan coming to finish the job. I decided to get up and keep myself moving. That was all I could do. 

I found myself in the more shady area of Gotham, not that it bothered me. I could defend myself. There were a few well-dressed men stood outside of a nightclub, talking about their boss. I paid no attention until they mentioned that their boss was looking to hire some new muscle. I wasn’t exactly muscle but a job was a job. If they turned me down, then they turned me down. I could at least try. I noticed the umbrella symbol outside the club meaning their boss was The Penguin. I didn’t really have an opinion on him, good for him that he now ruled Gotham’s underworld. 

I knew roughly where the man lived, the old Falcone mansion. It was more a question of getting inside that was an issue. I dug into my pocket and counted how much money I had. Enough for a cab. Ok. At least I could finally get out of this damn rain. I flagged a cab down and the driver agreed to take me to the mansion. The journey was roughly forty-five minutes and I gave him a small tip for not asking any questions. I looked up at the huge metal gates, no way I was going to be allowed through the front door, I wasn’t exactly dressed up for an interview. 

I circled the complex, finding a low enough wall to climb round the back. I jumped down in to a set of bushes and scanned the area. A few armed guards here and there, looks like the man was scared of something. I noticed a soft light coming from a few rooms in the mansion. I found a rock and threw it hard in the direction away from the back door. Once they were distracted I ran to the door, thanking my lucky stars it was unlocked. You’d think with the amount of armed guards this guy had he would lock his doors. 

The kitchen was empty thank god. I entered the hall and heard talking coming from one of the rooms. Let’s hope that’s where the big boss was. I stood in the doorway and knocked, getting the attention of the three men in the room. One tall and pudgy wearing a suit that people would mistake for menacing, his eyes told me he was kind. The second a bald male in all black and a sling around his arm. The third was sat in a chair carved like a throne, he had bird like features but looked adorable in an odd way. So that’s why they called him The Penguin. 

The two males that were stood drew guns, pointing them at me. I raised my hands, showing I posed no threat.   
“I heard you were hiring, thought I would drop by for an interview,” I spoke.  
“By breaking in?” Penguin snapped.  
“The back door was left unlocked and your guards aren’t exactly great at doing their job. I can see why you’re looking to hire more.”  
“Well the main reason was because someone,” he turned, glaring at the bald guy, “got shot.”  
The man rolled his eyes but kept his mouth shut.   
“I hope you’re not expecting to be hired because you successfully broke into my house,” Penguin said matter of factly. 

“Well it was going to be one factor,” I decided to be honest, “truth is I need a job desperately and a place to stay.”  
“Well I don’t intend on taking in strays. Butch if you could show her out thank you.”  
The big guy in the suit did as he was told, leading me out of the room and down the hall. That’s when Oswald called him back suddenly. Butch sighed and told me to stay where I was before heading back to the room. I crept back down the hall and stood outside, listening in. I heard the ringing of a phone.  
“He’s calling me again! I’m not answering it, tell him I’m busy. I’m not going to do more vile things for that man!” Oswald ordered.  
“Galavan isn’t stupid boss, he won’t talk to me. You’ll only get in more trouble if you don’t do as he asks.”  
Galavan? What did he want with Oswald? What he could possibly need from the leader of the crime world in this city? Oswald picked up the phone and took a deep breath before answering. 

“Yes? No, no I was just sorting through some things. Of course…arson? I don’t…yes alright I’ll have it done,” Oswald spoke, sounding more and more defeated as the conversation went on.   
I stepped back into the room, “so you hate Galavan too?”   
“What business is it of yours?” Oswald snapped.  
“We seem to have a common enemy that’s why it’s my business. I can help you get to him if you let me.”  
“And how would you help? What do you know about Galavan?”  
“I’ve lived with him for two weeks.”  
“And how do I know this isn’t a trick.”  
I hesitated, taking a deep breath, “because he took someone important from me last night.”

Oswald frowned before recognition flashed across his features. He turned on the TV that sat on his desk, turning it over to the local news station which was showing footage from the night before. Footage of Jerome and I. I turned away, unable to look. I couldn’t cry in front of these people, they would see how weak and fragile I was.   
“That’s you isn’t it?” Oswald asked.  
“Yes,” I spoke in a small voice.   
Oswald thankfully turned off the TV and approached me, a slight limp from his left leg.   
“But why would Galavan let you live with him if he were just planning to kill you?” Oswald asked.  
“My guess is he’s got something big planned and he needs Gotham to believe he’s a good guy.”

Oswald smiled and took my hands in his. I could see a plan forming.   
“Butch, find this lady a room and get her some clean clothes and some food,” Oswald ordered.   
Butch did as he was told and left the main room. Oswald forced me to sit down before taking his own seat.   
“You have to tell me everything, any weaknesses of his I have to know,” he spoke.   
I racked my brain, during my time there Galavan hadn’t really let down his guard…unless his sister was under threat. But even then he blew her off, there had been obvious tension between them.   
“I mean if you wanted to get to him maybe take...”  
I trailed off, I couldn’t do that to Barbara, I could see how much she loved her. Oswald waited, hanging on my every word.  
“His sister?” Oswald asked.  
“No, he wouldn’t care. He isn’t a family man.”

Oswald sighed and dismissed the bald guy, leaving the two of us alone.  
“If you are lying to me in anyway my dear or this is some kind of trick I can assure you, you will regret it,” Oswald threatened.  
“And if you think about handing me over to Galavan so he leaves you alone you’ll regret it. Think about it if managed to get past your guards and break in what else can I do?”  
Butch knocked on the door, telling me my room was ready. He led me up the stairs and to a rather lavish looking guest room. I thanked him and closed the door behind me. I sighed and sank down to the floor. 

It felt like I was betraying Jerome but I was doing all this for him, he would have wanted me to kill Galavan. And I wasn’t going to stop until I did. Even if it meant living in this mansion with bird looking men. Oswald was just a pawn, a way to get at Galavan myself. We both wanted the same thing so we might as well pool our resources. He had guns, I had knowledge. I headed into the ensuite bathroom and undressed out of my wet clothes. I got in the shower and made a sound of contentment as the hot water covered my skin. 

I sat down in the shower, clutching my knees to my chest and letting myself finally really cry since I had lost Jerome. I was nothing without him, he had made who I was, shown me what I really was capable of. He had been there for me when nobody else had, he had given me that freedom we all desire. And now he was gone I had nothing, I was alone. I needed him like I needed air to breathe. But I had lost him forever this time and nobody would be able to fill that void in my heart and soul. 

Eventually I forced myself out of the shower, dried myself and put on a bathrobe. I spotted a tray of food on my bed and took a bite. I sat down on the plush bed knowing that I was going to struggle to sleep tonight. The bed was too big for just me, so cold and empty. Yeah ok Jerome hadn’t shown me his feelings all that much but those moments in the middle of the night when I woke up with him clinging to me in his sleep that’s when I knew how much he needed me. 

I started crying again, I never got the chance to say goodbye or that I loved him back. He died without knowing and now I could never tell him. I forced myself to get it together, I couldn’t keep crying all the time. I was not going to that place again, that part of my life after my parents had died. I forced myself to eat and placed the tray on a chest of drawers. I found some silky pyjamas and put those on before climbing in to the large bed. I turned off the bedside lamp, the room now pitch black. I pulled the sheets up around my neck and closed my eyes. Not that sleep came anytime soon.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Emerald’s P.O.V

I awoke very late morning and forced myself out of bed. I opened the large wooden wardrobe and grabbed a black pencil skirt and light blue blouse. I added a pair of tights and black pumps too the outfit too. I brushed my hair and headed down stairs to the dining room. breakfast was still set out and Oswald was sat at the head of the table fully dressed. He smiled as I entered, his eyes lingering on me for longer than usual. I took a seat and grabbed a few breakfast bits like toast, bacon, eggs, a cinnamon roll, strawberries and a pear. Oswald patiently waiting for me to finish eating.

“So I have a meeting later this evening with Galavan, he wants to discuss his ‘plans’ with me. You are to remain here under the protection of Zsasz. I just want you to know that you are safe here,” Oswald explained.  
“And how can I trust you? You still might plan on handing me over to him.”  
“I guess only time will tell. But honestly I’m a smart man, handing you over would be the biggest mistake I could make at this stage.”  
“I’m glad you agree.”  
“The mansion is completely open to you but as you have your trust issues I have mine. You will be accompanied anytime you wish to leave the mansion.”  
“So you’re getting your hitman to babysit me?”

Oswald shrugged, “if that’s how you want to look at it.”  
“So do you have a plan for the meeting? I would suggest going straight in there and blowing his brains out.”  
“Let’s not be so brash my dear, when I find out his plan that’s when we can take him down.”  
“He took my life away from me on live TV, I have every reason to be brash.”  
“I understand but you’re not in much of a position to make such decisions.”  
“Why not? I kill him, I go to Arkham. It’s no big deal. I can handle Arkham, I did before. After all I have nothing to lose.”  
“As your ally I would rather you stayed out of Arkham.”

Butch knocked on the door and Oswald waved him in. Butch smiled at me kindly before him and Oswald began speaking to each other. I took this as my que to leave, breakfast was over. I found Zsasz in the kitchen, attempting to put his sling back on. I went over and helped him, I guess I better start getting on the good side of my baby sitter if I wanted to start being allowed outside on my own. Even though Zsasz gave off scary vibes.   
“Thanks,” he spoke.  
“No problem. Oswald says you’ll be babysitting me.”  
“He says while I’m recovering it’s my one use”

Clearly the two didn’t get on but Zsasz probably stuck around because Oswald paid him so well. The clothes Zsasz wore said he defiantly got a nice pay check.   
“I’m sure you're still more useful than that,” I said.  
Zsasz shrugged, “the wound is an inconvenience I could do without with my line of work.”  
“But it’s also bound to happen once in awhile with your line of work. Don’t beat yourself up about it.”  
I left the kitchen and headed back to my room. I sighed. Now what the hell do I do for the day? It wasn’t like I was really friends with these people. I had no belongings of my own and nothing really to keep me entertained besides a few stray books in my room. But I had to do something, if I sat around all day I would just keep thinking about Jerome. 

I know that I needed to mourn but I wanted to avoid the pain. I headed back downstairs to the kitchen and began searching the cupboards. Baking always kept my mind occupied. I soon found all the things I needed for cookies and began baking. Zsasz was sat at the kitchen table, reading the newspaper and occasionally glancing at me with a small smile on his face. Soon the kitchen was filled with the smell of cookies in the oven which lured a few others. Oswald being one of them. I pulled the cookies from oven, putting them on a cooling rack not that they hand long too cool as Zsasz and Oswald were the first to grab a handful each. 

Well I guess it was nice to know that my baking efforts were appreciated. Oswald soon left for his meeting with Galavan, Butch going with him. I made myself dinner which consisted of pasta and sat with Zsasz at the table. He was now sat with the cookie jar on the table and I suspected I would have to make a couple batches next time. I began to clean up, glancing at the clock. Oswald had been gone almost two hours. As if reading my thoughts, I heard the front door slam shut. Things had obviously not gone well. 

Zsasz and I went into the hall to find an outraged Oswald. Butch followed behind him, making sure to keep quiet.   
“What happened?” I dared to ask.  
“He’s taken my mother!” Oswald snapped.  
Oswald headed straight for the meeting room and slammed the door closed. I heard various bottles being smashed inside. I turned to Butch, waiting for him to explain.  
“Galavan didn’t believe Oswald would stay true to his word so he took his mother as leverage, she’s not at the penthouse, we don’t know where she is. She’s Oswald’s only family,” he spoke. 

Well shit. Galavan really had a way of making things personal. I entered the meeting room and closed the door behind me, noticing smashed glass and wine stains on the floor. The fire was on and Oswald sat by it, nursing a glass of red wine and crying. I approached him cautiously before kneeling down in front of him and taking his free hand in mine.   
“I hardly know you Oswald but I can assure you that we’ll get your mother back. I’m not going to let him take anyone else away,” I said, offering some kind of reassurance. 

I led Oswald to the couch and sat down with him. I poured myself a glass of red wine.  
“First thing tomorrow we’ll have every able body to help look,” I continued.  
I could see how much this woman meant to him. I took his hand in mine and squeezed. He turned to me and forced a weak smile.   
“Thank you Emerald,” he spoke.  
Oswald placed his hand over mine and I returned the smile. The wine was getting to me already and I had started thinking of Jerome. I just wanted someone to love me in the same way he did, someone to hold me and tell me it was going to be ok. 

Eventually on my third glass of wine I began crying and pouring my heart out to this man that I hardly knew. Oswald pulled me into his arms, stroking my hair and shushing me. He then began to tell me about his mother, how she had raised him all by herself and her many words of wisdom when it came to Oswald being bullied in school all for the way he looked. He didn’t look that bad, he definitely was adorable. Soon enough I fell asleep on the couch next to him.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I awoke in the morning next to Oswald who was asleep, his head on my shoulder and someone had covered us with a blanket. Oswald stirred next to me, clinging to me. I smiled softly as his eyes opened.   
“Morning,” I said softly.  
Oswald took my hand in his, fingers lacing with mine. I knew what was happening, I knew it was wrong. But I needed this, I needed this attention and affection. Oswald leaned forward and kissed me softly and I accepted the gesture. He cupped my cheek and kissed my forehead.  
“I don’t want you to think that I’m taking advantage of your vulnerable state but I can’t help it if I have fallen for you. I understand if this is too soon for you and I will back off-“ Oswald began.  
“No. I just need to take this slow.”

Oswald turned to me, taking both my hands in his, “Emerald I want you to know that I have no intentions of replacing Jerome. I want you to be happy and comfortable here with me. And I am more than happy to take things slow with you.”  
My smile grew and we headed to the dining room where breakfast was waiting. Butch and Zsasz were also waiting. Oswald explained that he wanted every single one of his men out looking for his mother, he didn’t care how long it took as long as she was found. 

I had some breakfast and then showered before changing into clean clothes. I spotted an envelope on my bedside table and frowned. I opened it and inside found an invitation to The Celestial Garden nightclub. I’d been there before with Barbara. Why would they want me back? Last time I was there my other half had left a fucking body there. Nine pm tonight…I guess I would go.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Emerald’s P.O.V

8:30pm. I had half an hour to get to the club. Oswald was out with Butch searching for his mother himself. Again he had insisted I remain here under Zsasz’s protecting. He was no longer wearing his sling, which was a good sign. I had managed to sneak out. I would only be gone an hour, I just had to hope Oswald didn’t make it back in that time. I took a cab to the club, wearing a knee length, figure hugging green dress. The bouncer outside noticed me and led me inside himself. That’s when I noticed why I had been invited. The club was filled with people dressed like Jerome, myself and the others that had escaped from Arkham. 

I grasped the rail next to me, focusing on my breathing. I didn’t know how I felt about this. Angry, upset or kinda happy. Happy to know that we had influenced others. There was a stage with a projector screen behind it. On that screen were various news clips showing our crimes and even our mug shots from the GCPD. The bouncer led me out to the back and knocked on a door. We were called in by a female voice. We entered the room and the bouncer was dismissed. 

I stood in a dressing room, an older female sat by a dressing table. She was dressed in red and black, her face pale with a smile painted on with red lipstick and big thick glasses. She turned to me and smiled excitedly. I had made sure to take the necessary precautions and stolen one of Zsasz’s guns just in case this was a trap.   
“I’m so glad you could make it Emerald. I hope this isn’t too much for you,” the woman spoke.   
I remained silent. It was a little much.   
“My names Jerri-“ she introduced herself.  
“What is this place? I was here not long ago and it wasn’t like this before.”  
“We were all just so influenced by you and Jerome, my condolences by the way that we thought we would set up a little club each night.”

I was struggling to process this and Jerri could tell. She came over to me and sat me down before getting me a glass of water.   
“I understand it might be a bit much to take in but I promise you we only have the best intentions. I just thought you could be our guest of honour,” Jerri continued.  
“I don’t want those people to see me. But I appreciate what you have going on here.”  
“Then you can stay back here and you can let Aunt Jerri look after you.”  
I smiled at this. Now I had another baby sitter. 

Jerri explained that she was the lead singer of the club’s band as well as the owner. She then began asking questions about Jerome. I knew if he were here he would be loving the attention and affection he would get from everyone. He would be seen as a god to these people. I answered her questions, feeling somewhat happy to just talk about him to someone who cared. Someone who was happy to listen and hung on every word. I didn’t quite realise the time and when I glanced at the clock I got to my feet in a panic. 

I had to get back before Oswald sent out a search party for me. Jerri ordered one of the bouncers to drive me back to the mansion so long as I promised to keep making regular appearances. I didn’t see no harm in it. Jerri pulled me in to a hug and I left with the bouncer. I felt a sense of belonging when I was in that place, like it was the closest I could be to Jerome. I snuck back into the mansion and changed into pajamas, jumping on my bed and pretending to be reading as I heard footsteps along the hallway. Zsasz stuck his head in the room, checking on me. He left and I let out a sigh of relief. 

I felt like I had to hide this from them, I felt that they maybe wouldn’t approve of the club and would try to stop me from going. I turned off the light and put the book back in its place. I was definitely going back there though and it would be my little secret. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A few weeks later

I pulled the freshly baked blueberry muffins from the oven, setting the hot tray on the counter. Zsasz watched from the corner. He would always watch me bake, mainly so he could get first choice for fresh baked goods. I didn’t mind, it was nice to know how much he loved my cooking. Then again a lot of the men here did. Butch being particularly sweet to me. He may look intimidating but he was just a big soft teddy bear. And Oswald was always so kind to me, buying me expensive gifts, taking me to dinner and making sure I was forever comfortable and happy.

I motioned with my head to Zsasz to come over, which he did. First look at Zsasz and people would run in terror but Zsasz had a nice side, I was lucky to have seen it. I guess he had a reputation to keep up so he couldn't be nice all the time. I handed him a warm muffin and he smiled his thanks. I put the rest on a large plate and then made a large pot of tea. Oswald liked some snacks while he worked, he didn’t like to admit it but I knew. 

Once everything was ready I placed it on the large silver tray and carried it all in to the dining room, which also served as a meeting room. Oswald was going through some sort of paperwork. I had no idea what, it didn't concern me after all. He smiled as I entered and I placed the tray down before pouring him a cup of tea. I added two sugars and handed it to him. I turned to leave but Oswald asked me to stay.

I sat down in the seat next to him and poured my own tea, lots of milk and one sugar. I glanced at the paperwork which was an end of week report. He placed his hand on my knee and smiled.  
“Are you happy here Emerald?” He asked.   
“Of course I am. It’s much better than where I could have ended up. I have a life here.”  
“I’m so glad to hear that. I wanted to thank you for being so patient with me during this difficult time. I know I can’t be the easiest person to deal with at times.”  
“Oswald you've had your reasons; I just want to make things better for you.”  
“Oh believe me my dear you have helped in so many ways that I can’t thank you enough.”   
“You don’t need to thank me. You've helped me too. You got me out of a bad place, I should be the one thanking you.”  
“I wanted you to know that I shall be making a move on Galavan soon and I would like you to be there when it happens.”

I nodded, “gladly.”  
Oswald had been so patient with me and I was so grateful. Unfortunately, we still hadn’t found his mother and Galavan had gotten Oswald to commit more crimes for him. Although now we could see his plan. He wanted to be mayor and be in control of the city. We were sure as hell were not going to let that happen. Thankfully nobody knew about me sneaking out most nights either. Oswald got to his feet and came over to me.   
“I have something for you,” he spoke.   
Another present? Already? Oswald produced a long velvet box and opened it revealing a string of pearls. 

I smiled and took the pearls from the box, clasping them around my neck. Oswald smiled and kissed me softly.   
“You need to stop buying me things,” I spoke.  
“You need to learn how to accept them because as long as your mine I’m going to continue to spoil you.”  
I got to my feet and kissed his cheek before taking the empty tray back to the kitchen. I glanced at the clock. Two hours until I had to be at the club. I headed to my room and began to get ready. I grabbed a purple and black dress, leaving it on the bed while I curled my hair. 

Once I was ready I headed over to the window but someone knocked on the door. Shit.   
“Emerald?” Came Zsasz’s voice.  
He opened the door and frowned. Now he was going to tell Oswald and I would never be allowed to the club again.   
“Where are you going?” He asked.  
“Zsasz please don’t say anything to Oswald-“  
“It’s my job to keep you safe Emerald.”  
“I promise you that I am.”

Zsasz still wasn’t having any of it and he closed the door behind him, crossing his arms across his chest, giving me the look of a disappointed dad. I sighed, I guess I was going to have to tell him.  
“It’s just a little club, I mainly hang around the back room with the owner. I promise you that I’m safe and not doing anything Oswald would disapprove of,” I explained.  
“if he finds out that you’ve been sneaking out we’ll both get in to trouble.”  
“Would you cover for me tonight? Pretty please.”  
Zsasz sighed and eventually gave in, nodding. I grinned and pulled him into a hug.  
“Thank you, I promise I’ll be back before he notices,” I explained.  
“At least take my car,” Zsasz handed me his car keys. 

I kissed his cheek and climbed out the window, getting into his car and driving to the club, parking round back. I entered the club and headed to Jerri’s dressing room. She pulled me into a hug and kissed both my cheeks.   
“Well don’t you look gorgeous,” she spoke, looking me up and down.   
Jerri was definitely like an aunt to me. I sat down and Jerri joined me on the couch. We began talking and Jerri handed me a notebook which she used to write down lyrics. I smiled at the title of the song. ‘GCPD’.   
“You gonna dress up as Detective Gordon while you perform this one?” I giggled.  
“That’s not a bad idea.”

That’s when the door flung open and a male who had dyed his hair ginger and was dressed in Arkham clothes came in. Jerri got to her feet, standing in front of me protectively.   
“You’re not supposed to be back here,” she snapped.  
“I knew she was back here. You can’t stop our love Jerri,” the guy said.   
Oh boy, he was so deluded. He probably thought he actually was Jerome and that I was in love with him. He couldn’t be more wrong. I put my hand on Jerri’s shoulder, telling her I could handle it. 

After a little convincing Jerri backed down and I motioned for the fanboy to approach. He closed the door and came over, getting on his knees before me. He took my hands in his and kissed them. I stopped myself from recoiling in disgust and let him continue his grotesque display of affection.   
“I can be your Jerome. I’ll do anything for you Emerald,” he spoke.   
“You really want to be my Jerome?” I asked.  
“Yes, more than anything.”  
I pulled out my pistol and pulled the trigger, getting him right between the eyes. His body fell backwards, a small pool of blood seeping out the wound. 

Jerri was beside herself on the couch, laughing at the spectacle.  
“Sorry about the mess,” I said.  
“Don’t worry about it, not with what you just did. You wanna go get a drink at the bar?”  
“Sure, the more I look at him the more he pisses me off.”  
Jerri linked arms with me and led me out to the bar, keeping me to the shadows so that I wouldn’t be seen by anymore fanboys. Jerri headed behind the bar herself and made us some cocktails. I turned my attention to the crowd and froze. 

Why the hell were Zsasz and Oswald here? Oh shit. I was in so much trouble; Oswald was going to kill me. Zsasz looked at me apologetically as they continued to approach.   
“Oswald-“   
He cut me off with a hug. I frowned, this wasn’t the reaction I was expecting. I was more expecting him to beat me half to death and have his way with me…that’s what Jerome would have done.   
“I’m just so glad that you’re ok. You have no idea how worried I was. I can’t afford to lose someone else who cares about me,” Oswald explained.

I held him closer, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for you to feel like that.”  
“I can see why you want to be here though; it makes you feel closer to him doesn’t it?”  
I nodded, forcing a smile.   
“Next time please take Zsasz with you, that’s all I ask. Just so I know your safe,” Oswald insisted.  
“Of course.”  
Eventually Zsasz took us home and we sat in the meeting room for a little by the fire together. That’s when Butch burst in, out of breath, blood on his face and…a metal hand? What on Earth had happened? He rushed over to Oswald, struggling to speak.  
“I found her…I found your mother.”


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: Mentions of self harm

Chapter 21

Emerald’s P.O.V

Oswald got to his feet, completely filled with hope. He smiled, going over to Butch.   
“Take me too her,” Oswald spoke.  
“I’ll come too,” I said, getting to my feet.   
“No. It might not be safe. I need you to stay here, we’ll be back soon I promise.”  
Oswald kissed me and left with Butch, although I noticed him whisper something to Zsasz on his way out. I sat down by the fire, unsure what to do next. Would his mother even like me? Oswald told me she sometimes wasn’t exactly accepting of the idea of Oswald dating. Calling some women ‘hussy’s’ and various other names. 

I guess I could clean up the place a little, hide any evidence of Oswald drinking. She might not approve of her son drinking red wine each and every day. I continued to clean up and decided to set up one of the spare rooms for her as well. She would probably be exhausted and shaken after spending weeks as a prisoner. I glanced at the clock, an hour had gone by already and still no word from them. It was only an hour; they might be on their way back now. I just needed to keep calm. 

I decided to cook some dinner, so that when they did come back they would have a hot meal to come back too. That and I needed to distract my thoughts. Eventually dinner was ready and I turned the oven but kept the food inside so it didn’t go cold. Two hours had now gone by. Zsasz entered the kitchen, one of his pistols drawn. At this I panicked, did that mean that Galavan was coming for us?   
“We have to leave, I’ve packed a bag for you but we have to go right now,” he instructed.  
“Have you heard from Oswald?”  
“No. He said if he was gone longer than two hours that I had to get you out of here.”

At this point I started crying. Oswald could be hurt or worse. I couldn’t lose someone else, I couldn’t let him take more people from me. Oswald had been there for me when I had practically given up on everything, he had picked me up and helped me to start a new life for myself. I couldn’t lose him too. Zsasz took my hand in his and led me out of the kitchen. What if Galavan was now coming for me? Let him come, I’d be ready and this time I wouldn’t miss. 

I let go of Zsasz and he turned back to me confused.   
“I’m staying here and if it’s your job to protect me then you will do your job and stay here with me. If Galavan wants to come here for me than we’re going to stay and fight,” I explained.  
Zsasz sighed and put his pistol away before placing both his hands on my shoulders, making me look at him.  
“We have to go now. We don’t know what kind of army Galavan could bring and what use are two people against a small army. I’m sure he has his resources. If I have to carry you out of here, then I will. So either you walk out of here with me or I carry you out kicking and screaming,” Zsasz explained.

Fine. We would leave. I sighed and stormed past him, grabbing my bag. That’s when the power went out. I held back a yelp, standing in complete darkness. He was here and he’d cut the fucking power. Zsasz was by my side, wrapping his coat around me and pulling both his pistols out. Zsasz led me to the back of the building, I remained behind him but close, my eyes trying to focus in the darkness. Once outside we got in a car and left the mansion, Zsasz probably breaking a few speed limits not that it mattered right now. 

I constantly glanced in the back mirror and over my shoulder to see if we were being followed and thankfully we weren’t. I had no idea where Zsasz was taking me or where we were. I hadn’t been to this part of Gotham before. It must be a safe house of Oswald’s, somewhere he could lay low when shit hit the fan. Zsasz pulled up next to a small wooden hut and took my bag before letting me inside the dark safe house. I turned the lights on and checked the windows. Zsasz closed and locked the door before drawing all the curtains. 

He made me sit down on the couch and turned on the fire before rushing off to check the other rooms were secure. Zsasz soon returned and sat next to me on the couch, one of his pistols sitting on his lap just in case an occasion arose where he had to use it.   
“Who else knows about this place?” I asked.  
“Oswald, you, me. The original owners dead.”  
“And who was the original owner?”  
“Sal Maroni.”  
I remember reading something about the mobster being shot by Fish Mooney last year in the papers. So Oswald had literally taken everything from Maroni, Fish and Falcone. And he had no underworld competition…well just Galavan. 

I headed to the kitchen and found various bottles of wine in the fridge, god knows how long they’d been in there. I pulled one out and poured myself a glass, taking the bottle with me to the table. Zsasz didn’t drink and he needed to keep a clear head so I wasn’t about to offer him any. I soon got through the bottle, feeling the effects of the alcohol. I got to my feet and made a grab for Zsasz’s gun. He raised it above his head, frowning at me.  
“No. You’re drunk Emerald,” he said firmly.  
“And your scary looking. I could fight you.”  
“I’m sure you could,” he said in a tone that said otherwise.

In my drunken state this pissed me off a little, “you don’t think I can? Just because you’re a super scary master assassin.”  
“In your drunken state Emerald the only person you could end up hurting is yourself.”  
“You know what, I’m gonna fucking call him and tell him where we are so that I can fucking fight him.”  
Him meaning Galavan of course. I reached for my phone but Zsasz snatched it away, looking a little annoyed.   
“I would advise against that,” he spoke. 

I made a grab for the phone and lost my balance, flopping onto the couch. That’s when my sad drunk side kicked in and I started crying for the second time this evening. Zsasz sighed and sat my upright before giving me a hug. I made a small surprised sound but accepted the hug.   
“I’m guessing I can’t call Oswald either,” I sobbed.  
“It might not be safe too. Oswald told me he would call when everything was ok.”  
“And he hasn’t called yet. He could be hurt; he could be dying or already dead.”  
“You need to stop thinking the worst. He might not be calling in order to keep you safe. Emerald you and your safety is number one priority.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I awoke in a bed, still in my clothes from yesterday. I guess I had passed out and Zsasz had put me to bed. I headed to the bathroom taking a change of clothes with me and showered, changed and dried my hair. I went in to the kitchen that connected with the lounge and began to make breakfast. Zsasz was asleep on the couch. The least I could was make him breakfast. Maybe I would even bake a little later. The smells from cooking bacon and eggs woke Zsasz and he headed to the bathroom himself. I glanced at my phone that sat on the coffee table and then down the hall. I had to at least try Oswald’s number. 

I turned off the gas so the eggs and bacon wouldn’t burn and grabbed my phone. I flipped through my very short list of contacts. Literally Oswald, Zsasz, Butch and Jerri. I dialled for Oswald and put the phone to my ear. What the hell was I doing? What if Galavan had his phone? Nope. I quickly cancelled the call and put the phone back in its original spot. I resumed making breakfast and Zsasz exited the bathroom in clean clothes. I glanced down at his arm and quickly averted my gaze away from his scars. It wasn’t my place to ask. But I did care and didn’t want to see a friend hurt themselves. 

I put breakfast on the table and we ate in silence. Zsasz had noticed the small glances at his scars and sat back in his chair, deciding if to talk about it or not. This was the first time I had seen them properly. Maybe he was finally comfortable enough around me.   
“These aren’t a bad thing Emerald,” he spoke.   
“You're causing yourself pain and leaving scars on yourself, how isn’t it bad?”  
“Each one is a mark, a tally for every person I’ve ever killed.”  
“Why? Why would you want to remind yourself of how many people you’ve killed?”  
“It keeps me grounded. Makes sure I don’t get too power hungry, you’ve killed someone you know how good it feels. These remind me that I’m only human even in those moments I watch a life being taken I’m not a god. I’m just a man and I can bleed too.”

I chose to leave it at that, there was no point in me trying to tell him it was wrong and awful. I understood that with self-harm scolding the person didn’t help. The best thing to do was try and understand. I knew how that pain can be addicting, how sometimes that pain can be the only thing you can feel. I placed my hand over Zsasz’s and squeezed in a reassuring manner. As if it was an unspoken way of saying ‘I’m here for you’. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two days had now passed and still no word from Oswald. I was going out of my mind with worry. What did we do if he was dead? We couldn’t just stay in this damn cabin for the rest of our lives. Something had to be done. Zsasz had tried to distract me by getting me to teach him to bake muffins, cupcakes and cookies. It had gone much better than I expected and he picked it up quickly. A master assassin and a baker. I was currently sat staring at the phone that hadn’t moved from the coffee table. 

I jumped as the screen lit up and the phone began to buzz. Only it was an unknown number. I turned to Zsasz and he answered.   
“It’s me,” he spoke.  
Zsasz smiled and handed the phone to me. I took the phone from him and put it to my ear.  
“Oswald?” I asked.  
“Yes my darling.”  
With that I burst into happy tears, so overwhelmed that he was alive and safe.   
“Why didn’t you call me sooner?” I asked.  
“I uhm…I’ll explain everything when you get here ok?”  
“Sure.”  
Oswald gave me an address to an apartment complex and I quickly wrote it down. He then hung up and I handed the slip of paper to Zsasz. 

We packed our things and left the cabin, getting in the car and Zsasz driving us to the address. I noticed he slipped on a coat before we headed inside to cover his arms. I practically raced up the flights of stairs until I reached the number given. I knocked on the door and it was opened by a tall, skinny male. He had green eyes, brown hair and glasses. He was wearing a simple shirt and trousers.   
“Edward let her in,” came Oswald’s voice.   
Edward stepped aside and I bolted inside and in to Oswald’s arms. He smiled and held me close, kissing the top of my head. He was wearing pyjamas and a dressing gown that clearly weren’t his. I kissed him, running my fingers through his hair and he happily returned the kiss. 

I sat next to him and waited for him to tell me everything. He told me how he had gotten to the docks and Butch had betrayed him, how Galavan had ordered Tabitha to kill his mother and he’d ended up with two bullet wounds. Edward had found him in the woods, taken him back here and made sure he got better. I turned to the tall male and got to my feet, pulling him into a hug.  
“Thank you,” I spoke, kissing his cheek.   
Eddie seemed taken aback by this, a slight blush creeping across his cheeks. I sat back down next to Oswald and laced my fingers with his. I was mad that Oswald’s mother had been killed and that Oswald had been hurt. I never even got to meet the woman I had heard so many good things about.   
Oswald spoke once more, “one things for sure my dear, Galavan will soon not be a problem.”


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Emerald’s P.O.V

Eddie was kind enough to let Oswald and I sleep in his bed while he took the couch. Oswald and I slept with Oswald clinging to me so much as if he let go I would vanish into the night. Eddie was so kind and sweet, a little quirky but I guess it added to his personality. Although I felt a little stupid every time I failed to answer one of his riddles correctly. And it happened a lot. Ed didn’t seem to mind however; he would explain the answer to me so that next time I would get it right. 

Tonight was the night that we planned on making a move on Galavan. Oswald had formed a plan, now we just had to wait for Detective Gordon to get on board. Apparently he knew what Galavan was up to and being the good little cop he was wanted to put a stop to it. Zsasz brought him in unconscious and being in the good mood that I was I decided to clean off the blood on his face. I sat by him, waiting for him to wake up. Although I’m sure prodding him would speed the process along. 

“Wakey wakey Jimmy,” I spoke, prodding him hard in the ribs.   
I smiled as his eyes opened and he scrambled away from me. He looked around the room confused, his eyes falling on Ed and Oswald who were over by Ed’s piano.   
“What’s going on?” He asked.  
“About time you woke up James, we have work to do,” Oswald spoke.   
“I have to find Bruce,” Jim spoke more to himself than us.  
“No, you have to give me Galavan.”  
Jim began to explain that Galavan was part of a group that wanted Bruce Wayne dead. Seriously when was that kid gonna catch a break? It seemed everyone wanted him dead. Apparently they had Bruce now and we had to go now before they could kill him. 

I turned to Oswald, waiting for his say. The sooner Galavan dies the better in my opinion. Oswald took a seat and asked Jim to explain his plan. Jim did so, apparently most of the GCPD were behind him which would help with manpower as if Oswald’s men weren’t enough. Once a plan had been formed which was for all of us to head to the place Bruce was being held captive and obviously save him before taking down Galavan. Although if that went south he would probably head back to his penthouse before fleeing the city so Oswald and Jim would corner him there. I cleared my throat at this and Oswald smiled.

“Emerald comes too no questions asked,” Oswald spoke.   
Jim turned to me then back to Oswald and shrugged in agreement. Good. Even if I wasn’t the one to pull the trigger I still wanted to watch. Maybe then I could move on.   
“Can we go? I’ve done enough waiting,” I interrupted.  
“Patience dear, we have to make sure Detective Gordon is one hundred percent on board,” Oswald replied.   
“I am,” Jim spoke.   
“See Ozzie, now let’s go.”  
Oswald got to his feet, leading Jim out of the apartment. I turned to Eddie and went over to him, pulling him in to a hug.

“Thank you for all you’ve done Eddie, you're more than welcome to come visit us anytime,” I explained, before kissing his cheek.  
“And you are both welcome back here anytime…as long as Oswald leaves me some food in the fridge next time.”  
I left Eddie’s apartment and skipped down the stairs before getting into Oswald’s car. There was a shot gun on his lap and a bag of various other guns and ammo on the floor by his feet. The car journey wasn’t that long and we soon pulled up to find various other people waiting for us. I spotted Bruce’s butler amongst them and he spotted me, he did not look pleased to see me. After all our last encounter involved me telling people to kill him.

“What the bloody hell is she doing here?” He asked Jim, pointing at me.   
“Relax, I’m not here to kill you and the last time was nothing personal I promise. I just needed some leverage and you were the best I had,” I explained.  
“And you think I’m going to forgive you?”  
“…maybe. I don’t really care to be honest, I’m not here for Bruce if that’s what your freaking out about. I’m here for Galavan.”  
“I see and you think Detective Gordon’s just gonna let you walk in there do you?”  
“Yeah actually I do. We have a little arrangement you see. So I suggest that you back off.”

Oswald was giving orders out to Zsasz and his men whilst Gordon did the same to his partner and the swat team. Bruce’s butler stood by a teenage girl dressed all in black with wild brown hair. With Gordon’s word we headed inside. Zsasz stayed by side, handing me a pistol so I could defend myself if need be. I smiled my thanks and we continued up the stone steps. Jesus how many stairs did this place have? Even Gordon's partner who had once been my rescuer and wrapped me in his coat was taking frequent breaks. 

We reached the top floor, hearing chanting from inside the main room. The doors were forced open by the swat team and we all piled inside, finding a bunch of weird looking monks stood around Bruce Wayne who was tied to a post and wearing a white night gown. I spotted Galavan amongst them and fired. He ran, ducking out of my sight. The monks thought with their martial arts and knives they actually stood a chance against people with guns. The room was soon emptied and Bruce was freed. But Galavan was nowhere to be found. Oswald took my hand and we went down the stairs as quick as we could to find him. With Oswald’s limp however that slowed us a little and Gordon rushed past us. 

As long as he caught up to Galavan and held him hostage that’s all that mattered. I continued to help Oswald along until we reached the final step. If I had the strength I would haul him over my shoulder and carry him to the damn car. Oswald got in the car and I got in to the driver’s seat, leaving the original driver behind. Now was not a time for a smooth ride, we needed to get to Galvan’s penthouse and fast. I raced through a few lights and avoided other cars. Oswald was putting on his feathery, sparkly coat that made him look even more bird like. I pulled up parallel to Jim's car and we decided to take the lift this time. Oswald laced his fingers with mine, kissing the back of my hand. 

The lift dinged as we reached the top floor and I gripped Oswald’s hand tighter as memories of my time here with Jerome flooded my mind. Someone was speaking with Jim, telling him not to kill Galavan. Oswald took this opportunity to grab the nearest vase, ready to smash it over that person’s head. We entered the room, finding a huge bald guy that kinda resembled a human thumb. Oswald smashed the vase over the man’s head, knocking him unconscious. Galavan was handcuffed and on the floor, clearly exhausted. 

He spotted me and smiled, “fancy seeing you here Emerald.”  
Before I had a chance to say a smart comeback Oswald stepped between us, “you don’t get to talk to her.”  
Galavan frowned before tilting his head to the side so he could look past Oswald and at me.  
“You moved on quickly, I thought Jerome was your one and only?”  
Oswald backhanded him in an attempt to shut him up but this only made Galavan chuckle. I clenched my fists, taking a deep breath to compose myself. He was doing it to get a rise out of you Emerald, don’t let him. I placed my hand on Oswald’s shoulder and smiled to tell him it was ok. 

I pulled out Jerome’s switchblade and crouched in front of Galavan.   
“How’s the bullet wound? Healed yet?” I asked.  
“Almost.”  
“Well it would be a damn shame if I reopened it.”  
With that I jabbed him with the blade in the same place I had shot him the night he murdered Jerome. He let out a yelp as the blade went through skin and muscle. Jim pulled me off of him, glaring at me.  
“We kill him, not torture him,” Jim said firmly.  
“Detective as much as I appreciate your help with this he hasn’t taken anybody away from you. He took Jerome from me and he took away Oswald’s mother so sit down and shut the fuck up!”

I needed to do this, I needed to inflict pain on him. Although I’m sure I could never put him through the level of pain he had put me through.   
“This won’t bring Jerome back Emerald,” Galavan continued to taunt.   
“Oh I know, but it will make me feel better about the situation,” I grinned.  
Galavan’s face fell and I kicked him in the face hard enough to knock him out. I put Jerome’s switchblade back in my pocket and helped Jim and Oswald carry Galavan’s body to Oswald’s car. We put him in the trunk and drove to the docks. How typical right? Murdering someone and dumping their body there. 

Oswald opened the trunk, finding Galavan conscious once more. We dragged him out where Oswald proceeded to beat him with a metal pipe. I sat on the boot of the car, watching as Oswald made him bleed. Jim eventually stopped him and put Galavan out of his misery with a simple bullet to the head. Jim turned and left, the weight of finally killing a man in cold blood on shoulders. I watched as Oswald shoved his umbrella down Galavan’s throat. Well, that was an interesting use of an umbrella. We dumped Galavan’s body over the edge and in to the water. I smiled, feeling a huge weight off my shoulders. I could finally be at peace knowing he had finally paid for what he had done.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Emerald’s P.O.V

After that night we had murdered Galavan, Oswald decided we should take a holiday and get out of Gotham for a little while. A well-deserved break for the both of us. Oswald had taken us to Paris, the world’s most romantic city. One week down and one week left. Oswald took me out for dinner each night, complete with various gifts and romantic gestures. I decided tonight was the night I was going to whip out the black lingerie I had brought with me. I was ready for this. Oswald was currently out getting us more wine so I undressed and put the underwear on, complete with stockings. 

I positioned myself on the bed in a seductive pose, propping myself up on my side facing the door and waited. Oswald soon returned carrying a bottle of wine, which he almost dropped when he saw me. I smiled and patted the space on the bed next to me. He put the bottle down and hopped up on to the bed. I pulled him closer, kissing him softly at first. The kisses soon become more heated and Oswald pulled me on top of him, his hands roaming my body. He pulled away from the kiss and held me at arm’s length, looking into my eyes.  
“Are you sure?” He asked.  
“I am. I want this, I want you.”

With that Oswald pulled me down for another kiss, his fingers in my hair. Oswald soon rolled us over so that he was pinning me down. He mapped out every inch of my body with his hands and lips, assessing my reactions to see what spots made me moan and gasp. He placed kisses across my neck and collar bones before making his way down to my chest. I arched my back so I could unclasp my bra, removing the lacy material. Oswald took my breasts in his hands, squeezing them gently before taking a nipple between his teeth. I moaned softly, closing my eyes at the pleasure. 

Oswald seemed to enjoy taking his time, working me in to a state that wanted more and more. His entire focus was on me and he didn’t seem to worry about his own pleasure at the moment. He continued his descent with his lips until he reached my panties. I lifted my hips to help him take them off. He parted my legs a little, placing feather light kisses on my thighs. I was gripping the sheets, my mind and body screaming at him to get on with it. I needed to feel his tongue. My chest rose and fell quickly as he still kept me waiting. 

Finally, his tongue flicked out and connected with my clit. I let out a moan, my fingers in his hair pushing him closer to where I needed him the most. He smiled before continuing. His hands gripped my legs, keeping them open as he continued to gorge himself. I was a panting, whimpering mess, my hips bucking and begging for more. Too soon for my liking he stopped and kissed his way back up to my lips. I began pulling off his clothes until we were both fully naked apart from my stockings of course. 

Oswald slowly pushed his way inside me, both of us moaning at the feeling. He began a slow, gentle pace, pressing his forehead to mine. I wrapped my arms and legs around him, pulling him closer. I moaned softly and captured his lips with mine once more. Oswald winced and I knew his legs must be playing up. I smiled kindly and carefully rolled us over so that I was on top instead. I started a faster pace, lacing my fingers with his and using this as leverage to keep my pace. 

Oswald relaxed into the sheets, moaning my name as I continued to ride him. His hands went to my hips, as he matched my pace. It had been months since someone had touched me and I craved this attention. I leaned down, our lips connecting while Oswald pulled my hips down flush against his over and over. I moaned into his mouth. It was clear that Oswald was a lover instead of a fucker, the tender touches and kisses gave it away. I was already getting close to my peak, the louder moans giving it away. 

Oswald continued the pace, kissing my neck and kneading my breasts until I finally reached my end, gasping and going stiff, my eyebrows knitting together. Oswald then reached his letting out a loud moan. I rolled off him and lay back before he pulled me into his arms. We stayed like this for a little while in comfortable silence while Oswald stroked my hair.   
“You know what will happen when we go back don’t you?” He asked.  
“They’ll arrest us and we’ll plead insane and go to Arkham. It’s nothing to worry about Oswald trust me. I’ve been there, it’s not that bad, the inmates pretty much run the place as it is and you’ll have me to look after you,” I said, reassuring him the best I could. 

He forced a smile, I could tell it still worried him. We just had to pretend to be sane long enough for the stupid shrink to let us out.   
“The only thing you need to worry about is the food,” I smiled.  
He chuckled and kissed my cheek, “as long as you’re with me through all this.”  
“I’m not going anywhere, I promise.”

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sure enough upon re-entering Gotham the cops arrested us and carted us off to Arkham. This place was going to end up like a second home to me I’m sure of it. I was handed the same black and white uniform and shoved into a cell. I changed into the clothes and sat down on the creaky bed. I smiled to myself. Everything was fine so far. Upon dinner time I was led to the rec room, a tray of food being placed in front of me. I spotted Oswald who looked lost and motioned for him to come over. He smiled and sat with me. 

Oswald didn’t like the fact some of the other inmates were already making fun of him. They were just batshit crazy, they wouldn’t do anything. Oswald didn’t see it like that though, he saw it as an invitation to make his importance known to the whole damn room. I hid my face in my hands. He needed to learn that you cannot threaten or intimidate a crazy. The inmates sat there in stunned silence before they began mimicking him once more. The only way you can stop a crazy is by showing them who was more crazy. I locked eyes with one and growled, making them soon shut up. 

I took Oswald’s hand in mine and explained my logic to him. He still didn’t seem to get it. I continued to eat my dinner, doing my best to get Oswald to ignore the crazies. He was still clearly upset, looking defeated.   
“Look, I know this is the last place you want to be, you’re not used to a life like this away from luxury but this is your life for now and you gotta accept that or things will get worse. The more you resist or provoke others the worse it gets. I’m your expert follow my damn lead,” I explained.  
“You make me sound like a pompous ass.”  
“That’s because you're acting like one. In here there is no king-“

My attention was averted to a male watching us through the mesh gate. Bald with a beard and round glasses. He was clearly of Asian descent. I didn’t like the look of him, something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. He began talking to a dark skinned older woman with bright pink lipstick and a silk top to match. A guard came over to me and pulled me out of my seat. I growled but knew it was best not to struggle. Comply or else you end up in the damn chair. 

The guard led me down a set of corridors and into an office. They stood with me until the bald guy showed up and sat down at his desk. I read the plaque ‘Doctor Hugo Strange’. What a quaint name he had. He motioned for the guard to leave and then offered me tea. I raised an eyebrow, so either he was stupid or could defend himself. Let’s hope he was stupid.   
“Sorry to pull you out of dinner like that, but I was hoping for us to get to know each other a little better,” he spoke.  
“You could have waited till after dinner or anytime between meals. I got plenty of free time on my hands.”

He smiled, “I’m Doctor Strange-“  
“I can read thanks.”  
He raised an eyebrow and I motioned to the plague on his desk.   
“Now what would you like to know? How stupid you are putting yourself in a room with a dangerous criminal?” I asked.  
“You won’t hurt me Emerald-“  
“Wanna bet?”  
“If you were to do that I could make your life a living hell.”  
“A lot of men have said that too me.”

Strange sighed and placed a cup of tea in front of me. I ignored the gesture, maybe I would throw it at him instead.   
“I wanted you to know that I will be helping you with your recovery and I think it would be in your best interest to comply with my methods,” he spoke.  
I yawned, “that’s nice. Good luck with the recovery. You're gonna need it.”  
“I’m not one for threats Emerald but I can show you things you would wish to erase from your mind.”  
I laughed at this, “you think you're scary mister? I’ve seen scary and you haven’t got his smile.”

 

Strange smiled at this before taking a sip of his tea, “you're referring to the late Jerome Valeska I assume.”  
“The one and only.”  
“I would have loved the chance to meet him.”  
“So would have a lot of people. Now can I go back to my dinner? This ‘meeting’ seems a little pointless to me.”  
He sighed, “the next one you won’t find so ‘pointless’ I can assure you.”  
I got to my feet and left his office, the guard taking me back to dinner or what was left of it. Great now it was cold and that made it only taste worse.   
Oswald looked a little concerned, “well what did he want?”  
“Oh it's nothing, just another doctor that thinks they can cure crazy. Nothing to worry about.”


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Emerald’s P.O.V

Over the next coming weeks’ things went on as normal, group therapy, one to one sessions that were doing nothing and the same old boring food day in and day out. Oswald still wasn’t taking much notice of my advice however and had apparently threatened a member of staff with a knife. I knew bad things were coming for him, you don’t threaten or attack a staff member and get away with it. 

I had no idea what they would do to him, I had no idea it would be as bad as this. Oswald was currently staring to space and being nice to anyone that interacted with him. I didn’t like it; it was not him at all. Even when people threatened him he was nice. I wanted to know what the hell Strange had done to him. And I was going to find out my damn self. Oswald was led out of the rec room by an orderly and taken down the corridor in the direction of Strange’s office.

I gave them five minutes, going over to an inmate and asking them to start causing a scene which they happily did. The other orderlies rushed over giving me the chance to slip out the rec room. I ran down the corridor and burst into Strange’s office. He looked a little annoyed and got to his feet, coming out from behind his desk.  
“I don’t appreciate you interrupting my meetings Emerald,” he spoke.  
“I don’t appreciate what you’ve done to Oswald.”  
“Whatever do you mean? I’ve cured him, he’s a sane man now and you're telling me you don’t want that?”

I growled and spotted the certificate in Oswald’s lap. He seemed over the moon because this meant he could leave.   
“What the fuck did you do to him?” I spat.  
“Cured him. I did my job, if only you would stop being so difficult and resisting treatment then you would be able to leave with him.”  
“Don’t turn this on me. I know you haven’t been using what people would consider humane methods.”  
“And I’m assuming you’re going to tell to people are you?”  
“That’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

Strange laughed, “but who would believe you, you're insane remember.”  
I stopped myself from attacking him. Oswald got to his feet and met my gaze, holding his certificate of sanity.   
“I’m sorry that we won’t be able to leave together Emerald. But I hope you get the help you need and that one day we’ll see each other again,” he spoke.   
I was still angry but I couldn’t be angry with him, he wasn’t in the right state of mind. Oswald was escorted out of Strange’s office, leaving the two of us alone.   
“Now will you be more cooperative-“   
I cut him off by punching him in the nose, feeling it crack under my fist. I then turned on my heel and went back to the rec room. Strange better keep looking over his shoulder because while I was ‘insane’ they couldn’t do anything if he was to ‘accidentally’ die. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had been a week in this place on my own and I was starting to lose it. I couldn’t take the loneliness anymore. Every time I had been here there had been someone with me. I sat in the corner in the rec room at a table by myself, glaring at anyone that dared to come close. That’s when the other inmates began causing commotion. I rolled my eyes, the door to the rec room opening and someone being shoved inside. I looked up and grinned. Eddie! 

He took in his surroundings and came over to me. I pulled him into a hug and we sat down opposite each other.   
“What are you doing here?” I asked.  
“It’s a long story.”  
“Eddie, as long as I’m in here I have all the time in the world.”  
Eddie began to explain how he had murdered his girlfriend and her ex who had psychically abused her before sending Detective Gordon on a trip around Gotham that involved lots of puzzles that unfortunately Gordon had worked out and now Eddie was here. 

“Not sounding rude but I’m glad you’re here. I was starting to get lonely,” I spoke.  
“I saw Oswald, he came to my apartment and frankly the new him creeped me out.”  
“I don’t know what Strange did to him but like hell am I going to let him get away with it. I’ve also seen orderlies disappearing. Like I follow then down the hallway, they turn a corner which leads to a dead end and their gone. I know it sounds crazy but-“  
Eddie put his hand on mine, squeezing it reassuringly, “I believe you Emerald.”

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Eddie and I had formed a plan to find out where the orderlies were vanishing too and today was the day we put it into action. Ed was armed with armed with a UV light and I had snagged a hair slide to use as a lock pick. We waited till after dinner which was most of the staff went off to have their own meals. We crept down the corridor, following the two orderlies who normally were the ones to vanish. We reached the dead end and of course they were nowhere to be found. 

Ed went to work with the UV light while I kept a lookout for any unwanted guests. Eventually he found something and pulled me over. Part of the wall pulled away revealing a keyhole. I went to work on picking the lock and that’s when a much larger door shaped part of the wall slid open to reveal an elevator. We got in and pressed the single button, the elevator taking us down and closing the wall back up. The lift came to a stop, revealing white walls and white floor but incredibly dark lighting. 

We opened the liftgate and stepped out cautiously. I walked on ahead, eager to see what the hell Strange was doing down here. Ed ran to keep up with me, pulling me back little.  
“Don’t go off on your own, we don’t know what’s down here and the kind of trouble we could get into,” Ed hissed.  
“Oh please, at most they’ll stick us in solitary and take away some privileges until we can be trusted again.”  
I pulled Ed along to the closest door and peeked through the small window, finding the room empty. I opened the door and we went inside, closing it behind us so nothing was out of place. 

Inside the room was a series of glass test tubes only they were human size and some of them even had bodies inside. Nobody I recognised in the first two. Ed began pulling me back and out of the room as I spotted a lock of ginger hair in the far end one.   
“We have to go now! Someone’s coming,” he whispered.   
“Fine. But we’re coming back.”  
We left the room, hearing some sort of inhumane roar from the end of the corridor. With that I bolted to the elevator, dragging Ed along with me. 

I pressed the button over and over again as if that would make it move faster. We were soon back in the empty Arkham corridor. We made sure everything was put back in to place and headed back to the rec room in silence. I think we were still a bit shocked at what we had seen and heard.   
“We are never going back down there,” Ed finally broke the silence.  
“Agreed.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Eddie and I were now planning on escaping Arkham after what we had seen what was lurking in the basement. Human test subjects for god knows what and for all we knew we could be next. We were both planning on escaping through the vents, as we both happened to have a grate each in our cells that would lead us outside and onto the roof. Then we would use the fire escape and then climb the back gate. We were starting to smuggle various items to help our escape as well like spare clothes so we weren’t walking around in public wearing an Arkham uniform. 

We were waiting for lights out before making a move, the grates already having been loosened earlier. Eddie had even found a map of the vent system so that we a. could find each other and b. not get lost. A guard made sure my cell was locked and then the lights went out. I waited for complete silence all except for the usual sounds of crazy people. I climbed onto my bed and pulled the grate off, setting it down carefully. I then grabbed my spare clothes, stuffing them in a wash bag. I put the wash bag over my shoulder and hoisted myself up into the vent. 

I had to remember the map now. Head right and take a left and Ed should meet me in the middle. I started crawling in the small area. I reached the meet up point and waited. Eddie soon rounded the corner and approached me.   
“If we get separated don’t worry about me, just go. If only one us can leave it has to be you Emerald. You’re the only one that can get through to Oswald,” Eddie explained.  
“We’ll come back for you. I promise. We are not leaving you in this place.”  
I kissed his cheek for reassurance and we began to take the route to the exit.

After half an hour of crawling we finally reached the roof. I opened the grate and smiled at the feel of fresh air on my face. I climbed out and gave my hand to Ed, pulling him out. We took a minute to get our breath back and enjoy the outside air before we decided to make a move. We ran to the fire exit and headed down the stairs. Finally, on ground level I pushed Eddie back against the wall as I heard a guard coming. They passed us, thankfully not noticing us. Unfortunately, the massive flood light did notice us. Fuck. 

Eddie pushed me forward, urging me to continue while he acted as the distraction. It hurt that I had to leave him behind but he was right if one of us had to go it was me. I ran for the fence, throwing myself onto it and began to climb. Once I was over I threw myself off and into a pile of bushes not caring about the pain my back from the fall. I got to my feet and ran. I forced myself to keep running even when my chest started to burn and I felt like I couldn’t breathe. If I stopped for a second, they could catch me. 

Eventually I reached the backstreets of Gotham and changed my clothes, dumping the washbag and inmate clothes in a trash bag. I found some loose change in the pocket of my jeans and began looking for the nearest payphone. I put the coins in and dialled the number of the one person who I knew could help me. I put the phone to my ear and waited.  
“I need you to come pick me up.”


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the lovely comment, kudos, bookmarks and love you have all thrown my way throughout this book.

Chapter 25

Emerald’s P.O.V

I waited on the corner of the street and soon enough his car pulled up. Zsasz got out and pulled me into a hug before we got into his car and he drove off quickly.   
“Do you know where Oswald is?” I asked.  
“Yes. There’s been an incident however-“ Zsasz began.  
“Is Oswald ok?”  
“He’s fine, but his step family isn’t.”  
I frowned, “step family?”

Zsasz began to explain how apparently Oswald had found his biological father only for his stepmother to poison him and then treat Oswald like a slave, then Oswald suddenly snapped and killed them all. Well at least he was back to normal I guess. Zsasz pulled up next to a huge mansion. I got out of the car and bolted inside, excited to be reunited with Oswald. I headed inside and to the end of the hallway into a dining room only to find a woman’s corpse, her throat had been cut. I moved further into the room cautiously. 

Oswald was sat opposite the corpse, sipping red wine and spots of blood on his face. He smiled at me and got to his feet, pulling me into his arms. I grabbed a napkin and began to wipe the blood of his face before kissing him.   
“Zsasz told me what happened, I’m glad that you're back to normal.” I spoke.  
“I’m sorry for anything hurtful I might have said to you when I wasn’t in my right state of mind.”  
“It’s ok, I understand. The main thing is you’re ok and I’m ok.”  
Oswald led me through the mansion to the bathroom where I could shower and handed me a fresh change of clothes.   
“We have to go back for Eddie,” I said.  
“We can’t at the moment as much as I would like too. You’ve just escaped everyone person in Gotham is going to be looking for you, until we prove you're sane we can’t do anything for Edward I’m afraid.”

I sighed but he was right. I couldn’t set foot in the streets of Gotham until I was declared sane. I showered and changed into fresh clothes before heading back downstairs to the kitchen to make myself something to eat. There I found Butch. I strode over to him and slapped him hard.  
“That was for giving up Oswald to Galavan,” I hissed.  
“I deserved that.”  
“Otherwise, it’s good to have you back Butch. But if you betray him ever again,” I glanced down at his one remaining hand, “I’ll take your other hand.”  
“Yes ma’am.”  
“Glad we got that cleared up.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A month later we had managed to forge a sanity certificate and I was free to roam the streets of Gotham. In celebration Oswald had taken me out for dinner. It was nice just the two of us for once. We felt like we could finally relax and there wasn’t anything to really worry about. Oswald again had brought me more gifts. Once dinner was finished we left the restaurant only to find it raining. Oswald opened his umbrella and laced his fingers with mine, covering both of us with the umbrella. 

I kissed his cheek and we decided to take a little walk before heading back to the mansion. A little rain never hurt anyone. We continued down the street, minding our own business and enjoying each other’s company. That’s when a laugh, a very familiar laugh could be heard in the next street. I froze and turned, my heart threatening to beat out of my chest. Jerome? 

Epilogue

Jerome’s P.O.V

I sat in the back of the bus patiently. Someone would open the door eventually. And of course me being me I was right. A poor fragile old woman opened the door and the others spilled out desperate for freedom. I rolled my eyes but got to my feet and hopped out of the bus, practically skipping down the street. I threw my head back and laughed. Now where the fuck was Emerald?


End file.
